Golden hour in Rome

How we work it out

Golden hour is when the sun sits between 6 degrees above the horizon and 4 degrees below it. Blue hour follows, from 4 to 8 degrees below. We find those moments from the sun's position, using the method the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publishes, then print them on the city's own clock, to the minute.

The times assume a flat horizon. Hills, buildings and a valley floor bring the light down sooner. Because the windows are set by the sun's height, they run longer in winter and far from the equator, and shorter near it.

This is the same calculation, with the same bands, that Cutvey Meter runs on your phone and your Apple Watch, so the times match to the minute. For the twilight on its own, every city's morning and evening blue hour is on blue hour by city.