Daylight & Golden Hour Calculator
Enter a date and latitude to see the day length, solar sunrise and sunset, and how long golden hour lasts — for timing hikes and catching the best light.
Daylight for the day
Times are solar(noon = sun at its highest), not clock time, and don’t include your time zone, daylight saving, or the small refraction correction. The golden-hour figure is the time the sun spends in the first 6° above the horizon at sunrise (and the last 6° at sunset) — ideal light for photos from a ridge or village square. In deep valleys, peaks and ridgelines will hide the sun earlier than this.
Chase the light, safely
Daylight is the quiet constraint on every hill day. It decides when you must leave to finish a walk in the light, and when the mountains and villages glow their warmest for a photograph. Knowing the day length and the golden-hour windows lets you plan an unhurried outing that ends safely and rewards you with the best light of the day.
Enter your date and how far north or south you are, and you’ll see just how short a winter day gets in the highlands — and how gloriously long the summer light stretches the further you travel from the equator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the day length calculated?
From the sunrise equation: the calculator works out the sun's declination for your date, then the hour angle at which it crosses the horizon for your latitude. That gives the length of the day and the solar sunrise and sunset times. At the equator the day is always about 12 hours; the further from it you are, the more the seasons stretch and shrink the day.
What does "solar time" mean?
Solar time places noon when the sun is at its highest, so sunrise and sunset come out symmetric around 12:00. Your clock time differs because of your time zone, daylight saving, and your position within the zone. To convert, compare the solar figures with a sunrise time for your exact location, or use them simply as a guide to how long the daylight lasts.
What is golden hour and how is it worked out?
Golden hour is the period of warm, soft, low-angle light just after sunrise and before sunset — a favourite of photographers. The calculator estimates how long the sun takes to climb the first 6° above the horizon (and to drop the last 6° into it), which is longer near the poles and in winter, and shortest at the tropics, where the sun rises and sets almost vertically.
Does it account for mountains blocking the sun?
No. The figures assume a flat, sea-level horizon. In a deep valley or below a high ridge, the sun will disappear behind the terrain well before the listed sunset — sometimes by an hour or more. Treat the times as the astronomical maximum and expect less usable light in enclosed hill country.
Solar times for a flat, sea-level horizon — they exclude your time zone, daylight saving, refraction, and any surrounding terrain. In valleys and below ridges, expect the sun to set earlier than shown.