Next usable light
Washington
7:11 PM – 8:03 PM
Solar noonDaytime60.8° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · New YorkMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:18 AM – 7:10 AM53 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 6:07 AM – 6:18 AM11 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:11 PM – 8:03 PM53 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 8:03 PM – 8:14 PM11 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 6:34 AM
- Sunset
- 7:47 PM
- Day length
- 13 hr 12 min
- Solar noon
- 1:10 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 61° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 283° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Washington
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.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 4:59 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 5:34 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:07 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:18 AM |
| Sunrise | 6:34 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:10 PM |
| Sunset | 7:47 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:11 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 8:03 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:47 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 9:21 PM |
Seven local days in Washington
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:18 AM – 7:10 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:47 PM | 7:11 PM – 8:03 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:18 AM – 7:11 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:45 PM | 7:09 PM – 8:02 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:19 AM – 7:12 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:44 PM | 7:08 PM – 8:00 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:20 AM – 7:13 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:42 PM | 7:06 PM – 7:59 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:21 AM – 7:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:40 PM | 7:05 PM – 7:57 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:22 AM – 7:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:39 PM | 7:03 PM – 7:56 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:23 AM – 7:15 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:37 PM | 7:02 PM – 7:54 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Washington is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Candidate vantage points
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. 283° WNW 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.
Plan and calculation notes
Assumptions and limits
Plan this specific light
In Washington, the evening golden hour window runs 53 min on the selected date and approaches from 283° 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 Washington
- When is golden hour in Washington?
- The reliable answer is an angle, not a clock time: golden hour is the span with the sun between +6° and −4° of the horizon, around sunrise and again around sunset. In Washington the representative monthly span is 52 minutes in March and 60 minutes in December. The panel above computes it for the exact date you pick.
- Which direction does the sun set in Washington?
- In Washington it depends on the month: 240° WSW in December, moving to 302° WNW by June — a 62° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Washington?
- In Washington, between 9 hr 27 min (December) and 14 hr 53 min (June). The month-by-month table above lists every month.
- Does Washington 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 Washington, the representative December golden window lasts 1 hr; 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.