Golden hour in Minneapolis in December

Minneapolis lies at 44.98° N, in the mid-latitudes, where the seasons reshape the light noticeably. Its longest measured day falls on Thu 18 June 2026 with 15h 37m of daylight, and its shortest on Sat 19 December 2026 with 8h 46m — a difference of 6h 51m between the two extremes.

Evening golden hour in Minneapolis runs for roughly 45 minutes at the height of summer, 39 minutes around the March equinox and 49 minutes at midwinter. The warm window is actually widest in the colder months, which makes winter evenings unusually forgiving here.

The sun sets toward 305° NW in late June and toward 237° WSW in late December, a shift of about 68° in where the last light lands — worth checking before committing to a west-facing viewpoint. In Minneapolis, the sky reaches full darkness between evening and morning twilight year-round.