Golden hour in Madison today

Today's golden hours are over. Tomorrow morning's starts at , in 9 hr 54 min.

Drag to move through the day

  • Morning gold
    7:04 – 8:01 AM
    from the east
  • Sunrise
    7:22 AM
    106° · east-southeast106° ESE
  • Evening gold
    5:21 – 6:18 PM
    57 minutes
  • Sunset
    6:00 PM
    254° · west-southwest254° WSW
  • Blue hour
    6:18 – 6:29 PM
    and 6:53 – 7:04 AM

Direction

Know which way to face.

This evening the sun set at 254°, well south of due west. Right now the sun is below the horizon. Tap the map anywhere to see where the light comes from there; drag the time slider above to watch shadows swing through the day.

Through the year

Madison's golden hours, month by month

Gold bands are the morning and evening golden hours; the pale area is daylight. The jumps in early March and early November are the clocks changing.

Golden hour in Madison on the 15th of each month, 2026
MonthMorning goldEvening goldSunsetSun sets toward
January7:06 – 8:10 AM4:03 – 5:07 PM4:48 PM242° WSW
February6:37 – 7:34 AM4:49 – 5:46 PM5:28 PM254° WSW
March6:52 – 7:47 AM6:26 – 7:21 PM7:04 PM268° W
April5:57 – 6:53 AM7:02 – 7:58 PM7:40 PM285° WNW
May5:14 – 6:14 AM7:33 – 8:34 PM8:14 PM297° WNW
June4:56 – 6:00 AM7:55 – 9:00 PM8:38 PM304° NW
July5:11 – 6:14 AM7:52 – 8:55 PM8:34 PM301° WNW
August5:44 – 6:42 AM7:20 – 8:18 PM7:59 PM290° WNW
September6:19 – 7:14 AM6:29 – 7:24 PM7:07 PM274° W
October6:53 – 7:50 AM5:36 – 6:32 PM6:14 PM259° W
November6:31 – 7:33 AM3:50 – 4:52 PM4:33 PM245° WSW
December7:02 – 8:08 AM3:37 – 4:43 PM4:23 PM238° WSW

Times on the 15th of each month, 2026, Madison local time.

How long does golden hour last in Madison?

Around 55 to 66 minutes each evening. It's shortest in March, April, September and October, about 55 minutes, and longest in June and December, about 66 minutes. The farther from the equator, the longer it lasts, because the sun crosses the horizon at a shallower angle.

Which way does the sun set in Madison?

Toward the west-southwest in December, around 238°, swinging to the northwest in June, around 304°. Today it sets at 254°, well south of due west.

When do the clocks change?

Summer time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Sunset that evening moves an hour earlier, to about 4:49 PM.

Golden hour near Madison today

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Evening golden hour, in each city's own local time.