Next usable light
Tucson
6:22 PM – 7:10 PM
Solar noonDaytime67.4° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · PhoenixMorning
- Golden hour
- 5:42 AM – 6:30 AM48 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 5:32 AM – 5:42 AM10 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 6:22 PM – 7:10 PM48 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 7:10 PM – 7:20 PM10 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 5:57 AM
- Sunset
- 6:55 PM
- Day length
- 12 hr 57 min
- Solar noon
- 12:26 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 67° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 282° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Tucson
Tucson's sampled golden window runs from about 47 min in March to 54 min in December. Where to stand changes with the calendar: 243° WSW in December swings to 299° WNW by June, 56° of horizon between them. Between December and June the day itself stretches from 10 hr 3 min to 14 hr 15 min, dragging every window with it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:26 AM | 5:42 PM | 10 hr 16 min | 5:06 PM · 53 min | 246° WSW |
| February | 7:07 AM | 6:11 PM | 11 hr 3 min | 5:37 PM · 49 min | 256° WSW |
| March | 6:35 AM | 6:32 PM | 11 hr 57 min | 6:00 PM · 47 min | 268° W |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:54 PM | 12 hr 58 min | 6:21 PM · 48 min | 282° WNW |
| May | 5:27 AM | 7:15 PM | 13 hr 48 min | 6:41 PM · 51 min | 293° WNW |
| June | 5:18 AM | 7:33 PM | 14 hr 15 min | 6:57 PM · 53 min | 299° WNW |
| July | 5:29 AM | 7:32 PM | 14 hr 4 min | 6:57 PM · 52 min | 296° WNW |
| August | 5:49 AM | 7:10 PM | 13 hr 21 min | 6:36 PM · 49 min | 287° WNW |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:31 PM | 12 hr 23 min | 5:59 PM · 47 min | 274° W |
| October | 6:28 AM | 5:53 PM | 11 hr 24 min | 5:19 PM · 48 min | 260° W |
| November | 6:54 AM | 5:25 PM | 10 hr 31 min | 4:50 PM · 51 min | 249° WSW |
| December | 7:18 AM | 5:21 PM | 10 hr 3 min | 4:44 PM · 54 min | 243° WSW |
Find the months when sunset faces your spot
Pick the direction your subject faces the sky. Months whose sunset lands within ±10° light up in the table above. Disabled shortcuts have no matching row in this visible mid-month sample.
Each row samples the 15th of the month at these coordinates, so dates near a month boundary can differ from the printed row — around here day length moves up to ~2 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow America · Phoenix, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:32 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:03 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 5:32 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 5:42 AM |
| Sunrise | 5:57 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:26 PM |
| Sunset | 6:55 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 6:22 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 7:10 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 7:50 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 8:20 PM |
Seven local days in Tucson
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 5:42 AM – 6:30 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:55 PM | 6:22 PM – 7:10 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 5:43 AM – 6:31 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:54 PM | 6:21 PM – 7:09 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 5:43 AM – 6:31 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:52 PM | 6:20 PM – 7:08 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 5:44 AM – 6:32 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:51 PM | 6:18 PM – 7:06 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 5:45 AM – 6:33 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:50 PM | 6:17 PM – 7:05 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 5:45 AM – 6:33 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:49 PM | 6:16 PM – 7:04 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 5:46 AM – 6:34 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:47 PM | 6:15 PM – 7:03 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Tucson is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Candidate vantage points
They are map-search starting points, not ranked recommendations; current access, closures, permits, safety, and unobstructed views have not been verified. The selected-date sunset bearing is 282° WNW; if a composition faces elsewhere, use the bearing planner in the month table above to find sampled months that align. This mathematical bearing is a planning aid and does not prove visibility.
Plan and calculation notes
Assumptions and limits
Plan this specific light
In Tucson, the evening golden hour window runs 48 min on the selected date and approaches from 282° WNW. Arrive 15 minutes before its start when that window occurs, then choose a position with an open view toward that bearing. Don't rely on the generic “one hour before sunset” rule here — the real window shifts with the season, so check the computed times for your date.
See the calculation method and limits before relying on the estimate in terrain-sensitive or safety-critical conditions.
Common questions
Golden hour FAQ for Tucson
- When is golden hour in Tucson?
- Tucson has no fixed golden-hour clock time. The usable band begins at +6° and continues through −4°, enclosing sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening; its representative monthly duration is 47 minutes in March and 54 minutes in December. Use the date control above for the exact boundaries of the day you will shoot.
- Which direction does the sun set in Tucson?
- There is no single answer — over the year the sunset point travels 56° along Tucson's horizon, between 243° WSW (December) and 299° WNW (June). The month table above lists the bearing for each month, and the sun-path panel computes it per date.
- How much does day length change in Tucson?
- Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Tucson: 10 hr 3 min of daylight in December versus 14 hr 15 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
- Does Tucson get blue hour right after golden hour?
- Yes — they are adjacent bands of the same descent: golden hour spans +6° to −4° of solar altitude and blue hour continues from −4° to −6°. In Tucson, the representative December golden window lasts 54 min; on ordinary dates evening blue begins when its evening side ends, while polar dates can merge or wrap overnight. The light-windows panel above computes both for any date.