Golden Hour & Magic Hour Calculator
See when morning and evening golden hour happen at your location, alongside sunrise and sunset.
Enter a valid date.
Golden Hour Calculator settings
Times are calculated, not measured, and are typically accurate to within about a minute. Actual sunrise/sunset can shift slightly with elevation and local horizon obstructions.
What is golden hour?
What is golden hour? Golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the sun is low in the sky and its light is warm, soft and low-contrast, popular with photographers and filmmakers. It is roughly when the sun's elevation is between about -4° and 6°.
Frequently asked questions
Is magic hour the same as golden hour?
The terms are often used interchangeably, though "magic hour" (common in filmmaking) sometimes refers to a slightly wider window that includes part of blue hour as well as golden hour.
More sun & sky
See all- Sun & Sky TimesSunrise, sunset and every twilight stage in one place.
- Moon PhaseToday's moon phase and illumination percentage.
- Sunrise TimeWhat time the sun rises today.
- Sunset TimeWhat time the sun sets today.
- Blue Hour CalculatorBlue hour for twilight photography.
- Dawn CalculatorCivil, nautical and astronomical dawn times.
- Dusk CalculatorCivil, nautical and astronomical dusk times.
- Twilight TimesEvery twilight stage in one place.