Golden hour in Chicago in January

Chicago lies at 41.88° N, in the mid-latitudes, where the seasons reshape the light noticeably. Its longest measured day falls on Thu 18 June 2026 with 15h 14m of daylight, and its shortest on Fri 18 December 2026 with 9h 08m — a difference of 6h 06m between the two extremes.

Evening golden hour in Chicago runs for roughly 42 minutes at the height of summer, 37 minutes around the March equinox and 45 minutes at midwinter. The warm window is actually widest in the colder months, which makes winter evenings unusually forgiving here.

The sun sets toward 303° WNW in late June and toward 239° WSW in late December, a shift of about 65° in where the last light lands — worth checking before committing to a west-facing viewpoint. In Chicago, the sky reaches full darkness between evening and morning twilight year-round.