Golden hour in Philadelphia in December

Philadelphia lies at 39.95° N, in the mid-latitudes, where the seasons reshape the light noticeably. Its longest measured day falls on Fri 19 June 2026 with 15h 01m of daylight, and its shortest on Fri 18 December 2026 with 9h 20m — a difference of 5h 41m between the two extremes.

Evening golden hour in Philadelphia runs for roughly 41 minutes at the height of summer, 36 minutes around the March equinox and 43 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 240° 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 Philadelphia, the sky reaches full darkness between evening and morning twilight year-round.