Golden hour in New York in May

New York lies at 40.71° N, in the mid-latitudes, where the seasons reshape the light noticeably. Its longest measured day falls on Thu 18 June 2026 with 15h 06m of daylight, and its shortest on Sat 19 December 2026 with 9h 15m — a difference of 5h 51m between the two extremes.

Evening golden hour in New York runs for roughly 41 minutes at the height of summer, 36 minutes around the March equinox and 44 minutes at midwinter. The warm window is actually widest in the colder months, which makes winter evenings unusually forgiving here.

The sun sets toward 302° WNW in late June and toward 239° WSW in late December, a shift of about 63° in where the last light lands — worth checking before committing to a west-facing viewpoint. In New York, the sky reaches full darkness between evening and morning twilight year-round.