New York, USA 40.7128° N, 74.0060° W

Blue Hour Today

Times are shown in the local time of the selected location.

Next blue hour

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Night Nautical twilight Blue hour Twilight glow Golden hour Daylight

Morning

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Nautical dawn
Sunrise
Glow on the horizon
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Deepest blue
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Evening

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Sunset
Nautical dusk
Glow on the horizon
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Deepest blue
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What counts as blue hour: the sun 4° to 6° below the horizon, when the sky is an even, saturated blue and balances with city lights. The sky stays a deeper navy for several minutes after evening blue hour ends, so keep shooting. The glow bearing is where the sun sits below the horizon; face the other way for the deepest blue.

Shutter Speeds Through Blue Hour

Light falls by more than a stop for every degree the sun sinks. Pick your aperture and ISO to see the shutter speed at each stage.

Session

Shutter speeds through blue hour for the selected location
Light Time Sun angle Shutter What you’ll see

How these shutter speeds work: They are starting exposures for a clear sky, metered away from the glow. A frame that needs 2 seconds as evening blue hour starts needs about 10 seconds by the time it ends. Under cloud, add 1 to 2 stops. Check the histogram and adjust. To go longer with an ND filter, use the Long Exposure Calculator.

Blue Hour Planner

Blue hour times for the week ahead and through the year at this location.

Next 7 Days

    Month by Month

    Blue hour times on the 15th of each month for the selected location
    Month Morning Evening Length

    Why the length changes: Times are for the 15th of each month. Blue hour is shortest near the equinoxes, when the sun sets at its steepest angle, and longest near the solstices. The farther you are from the equator, the bigger the swing.

    Blue Hour Camera Settings

    Starting points for the most common blue hour subjects. Shoot from a tripod and adjust from the histogram.

    City Skyline

    ModeManual
    Aperturef/8 – f/11
    Shutter2 – 30 sec
    ISO100 – 400
    White balance4000K / Daylight
    ExtraTripod, 2 s timer

    Light Trails

    ModeManual
    Aperturef/11 – f/16
    Shutter10 – 30 sec
    ISO100
    FocusManual, on the road
    ExtraRemote release

    Seascape

    ModeManual
    Aperturef/11
    Shutter5 – 60 sec
    ISO100
    Filter3-stop ND early on
    ExtraTripod, weighted

    Blue Hour Portrait

    ModeManual
    Aperturef/1.8 – f/2.8
    Shutter1/60 – 1/125
    ISO800 – 3200
    LightOff-camera flash
    ExtraCTO gel + 3200K

    White balance: Daylight keeps the sky close to how you see it. Tungsten (3200K) deepens the blue and neutralizes orange street lights. For portraits, put a CTO gel on the flash and set 3200K: the subject looks natural and the sky turns rich blue.

    Need focus, bracketing, and stabilization tips too? Blue Hour camera settings →

    Blue Hour FAQ

    When is blue hour today?

    Blue hour today for your location is shown at the top of this page in local time. There are two each day: one before sunrise and one after sunset. Allow the page to use your location or pick the nearest city.

    What is blue hour?

    Blue hour is the part of twilight when the sun is between 4° and 6° below the horizon. Direct sunlight is gone, and the sky turns an even, saturated blue that balances with street and building lights. Some photographers use a wider band; the sky keeps a deep blue for several minutes after the window on this page ends.

    How long does blue hour last?

    About 8 minutes near the equator, 10 to 13 minutes at mid-latitudes like New York, and 13 to 20 minutes in London. It stretches farther north: near the June solstice it lasts close to an hour in Oslo, and in Reykjavik the sun does not sink 4° below the horizon at all, so there is no true blue hour, only a long glow. The planner shows how it changes through the year where you are.

    Why is the sky so blue during blue hour?

    With the sun below the horizon, the sky is lit only by sunlight passing high through the atmosphere on a long, grazing path. Ozone along that path absorbs orange and red light, leaving mostly blue. Scattering still plays a part, but ozone absorption is why the twilight sky is a deeper blue than the midday sky.

    What white balance should I use for blue hour?

    Daylight (about 5500K) records the sky close to how you see it. Tungsten (about 3200K) or a custom 3500 to 4500K pushes the sky to a deeper blue and turns orange street lights closer to white. Shoot RAW so you can settle it later; white balance has no effect on exposure. More in the white balance guide.

    Is morning or evening blue hour better for photography?

    Evening is easier: you can set up in daylight, city lights are on, and the light fades gradually so you can shoot the whole sequence. Morning is quieter, with calmer water for reflections and fewer people, but some building and display lights switch off overnight. In the morning, shutter speeds get shorter as the light builds, so start long and work down.

    How are blue hour times calculated?

    This calculator uses the NOAA solar position algorithm to find when the center of the sun is 6° and 4° below the horizon for your location and date. Times are accurate to about a minute. Because the sun is already below the horizon, hills and buildings do not shift blue hour the way they shift sunrise and sunset, but heavy cloud dims the light and can mute the color.