Apps & Tools

Golden Hour / Sun Position Calculator

Enter a location and date to get sunrise, sunset, and golden/blue hour windows for shoot planning.

Location Preset

Latitude

Longitude

UTC Offset (hrs)

Enter your current UTC offset including any daylight saving adjustment for the date you're planning — this tool doesn't look up time zone rules automatically.

Date

Day Timeline

——

Results (Local Time)

Sunrise—

Morning Golden Hour Ends—

Solar Noon—

Evening Golden Hour Starts—

Sunset—

Blue Hour Ends—

Day Length—

Embed This Tool

Add this calculator to your own site or wiki. It stays live and up to date, with a small credit link back to Infinite Creation.

<iframe src="https://infinitecreation.io/app-golden-hour?embed=1" width="100%" height="600" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;" loading="lazy" title="Golden Hour / Sun Position Calculator"></iframe>

Knowledge Base

How to Use This for Shoot Planning

Golden hour (soft, warm, low-angle light) and blue hour (the deep blue afterglow following sunset) are the two most valuable natural lighting windows in filmmaking, and both are short. Plan your shot list around these exact windows rather than a vague "late afternoon," especially for anything where matching light across multiple takes matters.

What Counts as Golden Hour and Blue Hour

This tool defines golden hour as the period while the sun's elevation is between +6° and -4° (a widely used photographic convention), and blue hour as the period from -4° to -6° elevation, immediately following. Both morning and evening have their own golden/blue hour windows, mirrored around solar noon and sunset/sunrise respectively.

Accuracy Notes

This calculator uses the standard NOAA/Meeus solar position formulas (the same equations behind NOAA's own public solar calculator), accurate to about a minute for sunrise/sunset timing. The one thing it can't do automatically is time zone and daylight saving rules, enter your correct UTC offset for the specific date, which may differ across the year for the same location.

FAQ

Q: Why does day length come out slightly over 12 hours at the equinox?
A: That's correct, not a bug, atmospheric refraction bends light slightly, and sunrise/sunset are defined by the sun's upper edge crossing the horizon, both of which make the actual day very slightly longer than exactly 12 hours everywhere on Earth at the equinox.

Q: Does latitude affect how long golden hour lasts?
A: Significantly: near the equator the sun drops almost straight down, making golden hour short and consistent year-round. Near the poles in summer, the sun's path is much shallower, stretching golden hour dramatically or even lasting all "night."