Next usable light
5:41 PM – 6:34 PM
Solar noonDaytime39.0° · 180° S
Washington, D.C. · Sun, Oct 25
Evening golden hour · 5:41 PM – 6:34 PM
Weather, terrain, buildings, local access, and elevation are not included.
https://goldenhourly.pages.dev/washington-dc/?date=2026-10-25
Morning
Evening
Where to point the camera
On this selected date, the sun reaches 39° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 255° WSW.
Pick the month before the day
Washington's sampled golden window runs from about 52 min in March to 1 hr in December. Sunset moves 62° along the horizon between December (240° WSW) and June (302° WNW), so a spot framed for one season can face away from the light in another. Between December and June the day itself stretches from 9 hr 27 min to 14 hr 53 min, dragging every window with it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:26 AM | 5:10 PM | 9 hr 44 min | 4:30 PM · 59 min | 243° WSW |
| February | 7:01 AM | 5:46 PM | 10 hr 45 min | 5:09 PM · 54 min | 255° WSW |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:15 PM | 11 hr 55 min | 6:40 PM · 52 min | 268° W |
| April | 6:32 AM | 7:45 PM | 13 hr 13 min | 7:09 PM · 53 min | 284° WNW |
| May | 5:57 AM | 8:14 PM | 14 hr 18 min | 7:36 PM · 56 min | 296° WNW |
| June | 5:43 AM | 8:36 PM | 14 hr 53 min | 7:56 PM · 59 min | 302° WNW |
| July | 5:56 AM | 8:34 PM | 14 hr 38 min | 7:55 PM · 58 min | 299° WNW |
| August | 6:22 AM | 8:05 PM | 13 hr 42 min | 7:28 PM · 54 min | 289° WNW |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:18 PM | 12 hr 28 min | 6:43 PM · 52 min | 275° W |
| October | 7:18 AM | 6:31 PM | 11 hr 13 min | 5:55 PM · 53 min | 260° W |
| November | 6:52 AM | 4:56 PM | 10 hr 4 min | 4:16 PM · 57 min | 247° WSW |
| December | 7:20 AM | 4:48 PM | 9 hr 27 min | 4:06 PM · 1 hr | 240° 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 ~3 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow America · New York, including any daylight-saving change.
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:59 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 6:30 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 7:01 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 7:12 AM |
| Sunrise | 7:28 AM |
| Solar noon | 12:53 PM |
| Sunset | 6:17 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 5:41 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 6:34 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 7:16 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 7:47 PM |
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Oct 25 | 7:12 AM – 8:05 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:17 PM | 5:41 PM – 6:34 PM |
| Mon, Oct 26 | 7:13 AM – 8:06 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:16 PM | 5:39 PM – 6:33 PM |
| Tue, Oct 27 | 7:14 AM – 8:08 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:15 PM | 5:38 PM – 6:32 PM |
| Wed, Oct 28 | 7:15 AM – 8:09 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:14 PM | 5:36 PM – 6:31 PM |
| Thu, Oct 29 | 7:16 AM – 8:10 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:12 PM | 5:35 PM – 6:29 PM |
| Fri, Oct 30 | 7:17 AM – 8:11 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:11 PM | 5:34 PM – 6:28 PM |
| Sat, Oct 31 | 7:18 AM – 8:12 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:10 PM | 5:33 PM – 6:27 PM |
The moon over Washington is a Full Moon, 99% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Use them only as map-search leads; they are not ranked recommendations. We have not verified current access, closures, permits, safety, or an unobstructed view. 255° WSW is the selected-date mathematical sunset bearing; if another composition faces elsewhere, use the bearing planner in the month table above to locate better-matched sampled months. The number is a planning aid and does not prove visibility.
In Washington, the evening golden hour window runs 54 min on the selected date and approaches from 255° WSW. 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