What Time Is Blue Hour Today?
Today's blue hour windows for your location are shown above with a live countdown to the next one. Blue hour comes twice a day: in the morning it's the deep-blue spell before golden hour and sunrise; in the evening it follows golden hour, after the sun has set. The blue band on the animated sky marks where it falls on today's sun path.
What Is Blue Hour?
Blue hour is the period when the sun sits between about 4° and 6° below the horizon. No direct sunlight reaches the ground, but the upper atmosphere still scatters short blue wavelengths down — so the whole sky glows an intense, even, cobalt blue with no harsh shadows anywhere. It's a favorite of city and architecture photographers because streetlights, windows, and neon switch on while the sky still holds color, instead of going flat black.
Blue Hour vs Golden Hour
They're neighbors: golden hour is the warm light while the sun is just above (and barely below) the horizon; blue hour takes over once the sun drops past about 4° below. Evening order: golden hour → sunset → blue hour → night. Morning order: night → blue hour → golden hour → full daylight. If you're out shooting one, stay for the other — they're minutes apart.
FAQ
When is blue hour tonight?
It starts a few minutes after sunset — the exact window for your location is in the cards above, updating live.
How is blue hour calculated?
From the sun's elevation: this page computes when the sun is 4–6° below the horizon at your location, using only your timezone — no location permission needed.
Why is it shorter than golden hour?
The band of elevations is narrower (2° versus 10°), so the sun crosses it faster — typically 20–40 minutes at mid-latitudes.