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Golden Hour in Columbia, MD

Calculated sunrise, sunset, golden hour and blue hour times for Columbia, MD. Select a date to view the calculated light times.

The month-by-month table below is in this city's own local time. The live times above follow your device's timezone. Mountains, ridgelines and buildings can shorten the usable window — scout your horizon.

Photography planning

Terrain, buildings and weather can affect visible light. Check the horizon and conditions at the selected location.

Golden hour in Columbia is the hour before sunset — and sunset here runs from 4:44 PM in November to 8:37 PM in June. The table below gives the exact window for every month, in Columbia's own time zone.

What time is golden hour in Columbia today?

Use the live times above for today's exact window. As a rule, evening golden hour in Columbia starts about 40 minutes before sunset and ends at sunset. In June that is 7:55 PM – 8:35 PM; in December it is 4:03 PM – 4:45 PM.

What time is sunset in Columbia?

Sunset in Columbia is earliest at 4:44 PM on November 30 and latest at 8:37 PM on June 20, a swing of about 4 hours across the year.

How long does golden hour last in Columbia?

Golden hour lasts about 40 minutes in midsummer and 42 minutes in midwinter. The longest evening golden hour falls in December at about 42 minutes; the shortest is in March at about 35 minutes.

Month-by-month times for Columbia

MonthSunriseSunsetGolden hour (evening)LengthDaylight
January7:25 AM5:08 PM4:27 PM – 5:08 PM41 min9h 43m
February6:58 AM5:44 PM5:07 PM – 5:44 PM37 min10h 45m
March7:18 AM7:14 PM6:39 PM – 7:14 PM35 min11h 56m
April6:30 AM7:44 PM7:09 PM – 7:44 PM35 min13h 15m
May5:53 AM8:14 PM7:35 PM – 8:14 PM39 min14h 20m
June5:40 AM8:35 PM7:55 PM – 8:35 PM40 min14h 55m
July5:53 AM8:32 PM7:53 PM – 8:32 PM39 min14h 39m
August6:20 AM8:02 PM7:25 PM – 8:02 PM37 min13h 42m
September6:48 AM7:15 PM6:40 PM – 7:15 PM35 min12h 27m
October7:17 AM6:28 PM5:52 PM – 6:28 PM36 min11h 11m
November6:50 AM4:52 PM4:13 PM – 4:52 PM39 min10h 02m
December7:19 AM4:45 PM4:03 PM – 4:45 PM42 min9h 25m

The year at a glance

  • Earliest sunset: 4:44 PM on November 30
  • Latest sunset: 8:37 PM on June 20
  • Longest day: 14h 56m on June 21
  • Shortest day: 9h 24m on December 21
  • Golden hour length: about 40 minutes in June, 42 minutes in December
  • Time zone: America/New_York

What is golden hour?

Golden hour is the period near sunrise and sunset when the sun is low. Blue hour occurs before sunrise and after sunset. Calculated times vary with location and date; weather, terrain and buildings can affect visible light.

Photography services

Kanyon Studio provides photography and video in San Diego. Location, lighting and scheduling are agreed for each shoot.