Golden hour in Chicago — any date#
Golden & blue hour times in Chicago, next 12 months#
Local time (America/Chicago), including daylight-saving changes. Golden hour = sun between −4° and +6°; blue hour = −6° to −4°.
| Date | Blue hour (am) | Golden hour (am) | Sunrise / sunset | Golden hour (pm) | Blue hour (pm) | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 01 | 06:19–06:30 | 06:30–07:24 | 06:47 / 18:32 | 17:55–18:49 | 18:49–18:59 | 11 h 44 min |
| Oct 15 | 06:34–06:45 | 06:45–07:40 | 07:03 / 18:08 | 17:31–18:26 | 18:26–18:37 | 11 h 06 min |
| Nov 01 | 05:54–06:05 | 06:05–07:02 | 06:23 / 16:44 | 16:04–17:02 | 17:02–17:13 | 10 h 22 min |
| Nov 15 | 06:10–06:21 | 06:21–07:21 | 06:40 / 16:29 | 15:48–16:48 | 16:48–16:59 | 9 h 49 min |
| Dec 01 | 06:27–06:39 | 06:39–07:42 | 06:58 / 16:20 | 15:36–16:39 | 16:39–16:51 | 9 h 22 min |
| Dec 15 | 06:39–06:51 | 06:51–07:56 | 07:11 / 16:20 | 15:35–16:40 | 16:40–16:52 | 9 h 09 min |
| Jan 01 | 06:46–06:58 | 06:58–08:02 | 07:18 / 16:30 | 15:45–16:49 | 16:49–17:01 | 9 h 12 min |
| Jan 15 | 06:44–06:56 | 06:56–07:58 | 07:15 / 16:44 | 16:01–17:03 | 17:03–17:15 | 9 h 29 min |
| Feb 01 | 06:33–06:44 | 06:44–07:43 | 07:03 / 17:05 | 16:24–17:23 | 17:23–17:35 | 10 h 03 min |
| Feb 15 | 06:17–06:28 | 06:28–07:25 | 06:46 / 17:23 | 16:44–17:41 | 17:41–17:52 | 10 h 37 min |
| Mar 01 | 05:57–06:08 | 06:08–07:03 | 06:25 / 17:40 | 17:03–17:57 | 17:57–18:08 | 11 h 15 min |
| Mar 15 | 06:34–06:45 | 06:45–07:39 | 07:02 / 18:57 | 18:20–19:14 | 19:14–19:24 | 11 h 54 min |
| Apr 01 | 06:05–06:16 | 06:16–07:10 | 06:33 / 19:15 | 18:39–19:33 | 19:33–19:44 | 12 h 42 min |
| Apr 15 | 05:41–05:52 | 05:52–06:47 | 06:10 / 19:31 | 18:53–19:49 | 19:49–20:00 | 13 h 21 min |
| May 01 | 05:16–05:28 | 05:28–06:25 | 05:47 / 19:49 | 19:10–20:07 | 20:07–20:19 | 14 h 02 min |
| May 15 | 04:58–05:11 | 05:11–06:10 | 05:30 / 20:03 | 19:23–20:23 | 20:23–20:35 | 14 h 33 min |
| Jun 01 | 04:44–04:57 | 04:57–05:59 | 05:18 / 20:19 | 19:37–20:39 | 20:39–20:52 | 15 h 01 min |
| Jun 15 | 04:40–04:54 | 04:54–05:57 | 05:14 / 20:27 | 19:45–20:48 | 20:48–21:01 | 15 h 12 min |
| Jul 01 | 04:45–04:58 | 04:58–06:01 | 05:19 / 20:29 | 19:47–20:50 | 20:50–21:03 | 15 h 10 min |
| Jul 15 | 04:55–05:08 | 05:08–06:09 | 05:28 / 20:24 | 19:42–20:44 | 20:44–20:57 | 14 h 55 min |
| Aug 01 | 05:12–05:25 | 05:25–06:23 | 05:44 / 20:08 | 19:29–20:27 | 20:27–20:40 | 14 h 25 min |
| Aug 15 | 05:28–05:40 | 05:40–06:36 | 05:58 / 19:50 | 19:12–20:09 | 20:09–20:20 | 13 h 52 min |
| Sep 01 | 05:47–05:58 | 05:58–06:53 | 06:16 / 19:24 | 18:47–19:41 | 19:41–19:52 | 13 h 08 min |
| Sep 15 | 06:02–06:13 | 06:13–07:07 | 06:30 / 19:00 | 18:23–19:17 | 19:17–19:28 | 12 h 30 min |
Light through the year#
Photography light in Chicago#
The longest day in the table is around June 15 (15 h 12 min) and the shortest around December 15 (9 h 09 min).
Each golden hour lasts about 54 min near September and up to 1 h 04 min near December. At 41.9° N the sun sets at a moderate angle.
Solar noon today is at 12:39 when the sun reaches 44° above the horizon. Even midday light is relatively low today — good for side-lit landscapes.
Nearby cities#
- Toronto 704 km
- Washington 956 km
- Ottawa 1,039 km
- Philadelphia 1,069 km
- New York City 1,146 km
- Manhattan 1,148 km
- Brooklyn 1,152 km
- The Bronx 1,155 km
- Queens 1,161 km
- Montréal 1,200 km
- Dallas 1,291 km
- Houston 1,512 km
More cities in United States#
Plan the shoot#
Frequently asked questions#
When is golden hour in Chicago today?
Morning: 06:32–07:26; evening: 17:51–18:45 (America/Chicago).
When is blue hour in Chicago?
Today: 06:21–06:32 in the morning and 18:45–18:56 in the evening.
What time is sunset in Chicago today?
18:28 local time; sunrise was at 06:49.
How long is golden hour in Chicago?
Between 54 min and 1 h 04 min per session depending on the season.
Sources & licences#
- GeoNames (city coordinates & time zones) — CC BY 4.0
- NOAA solar calculator algorithm — Public domain
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources