What Time Is Golden Hour Today? Manchester Calendar
Golden hour times for Manchester today, tomorrow and every day of the year — morning and evening windows, blue hour, sunrise and sunset. Calculated live, BST included.
Today’s golden hour times for Manchester are in the card on this page — it calculates them live, so it is right whatever the date. There are two windows every day: one starting at sunrise, one ending at sunset. Pick a date in the card to plan up to a fortnight ahead, or use the calendar below for the whole year.
Nothing here is a lookup table that goes stale — the times are calculated in your browser for Manchester’s exact coordinates (53.48°N, 2.24°W), so the calendar works for next year and the year after, and British Summer Time is applied automatically on the correct changeover dates.
Today in Manchester
The calendar
| Date | Blue hourdawn | Sunrise | Golden hourmorning | Golden hourevening | Sunset | Blue hourdusk | Goldentotal |
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All times are local Manchester time with British Summer Time applied automatically. Golden hour is taken as the sun between the horizon and 6° above it; blue hour as 6° below the horizon before sunrise and 4° below after sunset. Times are calculated, not measured — cloud, terrain and buildings will shift what you actually get by a few minutes.
Golden hour through the year
Here is the thing most photographers get backwards: the darkest months have the longest golden hour. Around both solstices the sun crosses the horizon at a shallow angle and takes its time passing through the golden-hour band; near the equinoxes it cuts down steeply and the window slams shut. So December gives you more usable golden light per day than June does — you just have to be in position by mid-afternoon. The bars are total daily golden hour, morning plus evening, averaged per month.
Where to shoot this light
Golden hour suits west-facing open spaces and warm stone — Albert Square, Castlefield and the Ordsall brick. Blue hour suits water and lit architecture: the Castlefield Viaduct, Deansgate Locks, Greengate Square and MediaCityUK.
Our golden hour guide and blue hour guide cover the locations in detail, and the tripod guide covers what you need once exposures get long. If you want the light on the skyline specifically, the best views in Manchester are ranked by which way each one faces. You can also plan a route on the map or filter every spot by best light.
Golden hour, answered
What time is golden hour today in Manchester?
There are two golden hours every day, and today's exact times are in the live card at the top of this page. The morning one begins at sunrise and runs until the sun is about 6° above the horizon; the evening one begins when the sun drops back through 6° and ends at sunset. Across the year in Manchester, evening golden hour starts as early as 14:42 in mid-December and as late as 20:44 in late June, so it is worth checking the date rather than assuming.
How long does golden hour last?
Not an hour, despite the name. In Manchester a single golden hour window runs from about 46 minutes around the equinoxes in March and September up to about 68 minutes near the winter solstice. The reason is the angle: in midwinter the sun crosses the horizon on a shallow diagonal and takes its time passing through the golden-hour band, while at the equinoxes it cuts down steeply and the window shuts fast. Count on roughly 50 minutes and be set up before it starts.
Is it golden hour right now?
The status line under the heading on this page tells you, calculated live for Manchester. If you are reading this in the middle of the day it will say how long there is until the evening window opens.
When is golden hour in the morning?
Morning golden hour starts at sunrise, so its start time is simply the sunrise time. In Manchester that ranges from about 04:39 in late June to about 08:25 in late December. It then lasts until the sun reaches 6° above the horizon, which is between 46 and 68 minutes later depending on the season.
What is blue hour, and when is it?
Blue hour is the period when the sun is below the horizon but the sky still holds a deep blue light, and it is the better window for city and architecture work because artificial light balances with the sky. The dusk blue hour starts at sunset and runs for about 21 to 31 minutes in Manchester depending on the time of year, shortest in early spring and longest in June. The dawn blue hour is the mirror image, ending at sunrise.
Are these golden hour times right for the rest of the UK?
They are calculated for Manchester's coordinates, 53.48°N and 2.24°W. Anywhere else in the north of England they will be within a few minutes. Further afield the gap widens, and the further north you go the wider the seasonal swing becomes. British Summer Time is applied automatically on the correct changeover dates.