today
- golden hour
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- sunset
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- blue hour
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- sunrise
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- your hour
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- 60 minutes after sunset
Pick your date: the sunset, the golden hour, the blue hour and your hour at Chicago River, in local time.
Times are Chicago local time (America/Chicago), worked out from the sun’s position for this place (the NOAA method), good to about a minute on a flat horizon. Golden hour is the last hour before sunset; blue hour runs from sunset to the end of civil twilight.

A river of light runs west between the towers, and from a downtown bridge you get to stand right in the middle of it.
In the reel: The couple at the Riverwalk railing at night, seen from behind, her head on his shoulder, looking up the Chicago River toward the lit towers and the bridge, the city lights spilling across the water.
This is the main stem of the Chicago River looking west from a downtown bridge, the Riverwalk lit along the left bank and the next bridge sitting low in the middle. The closest match is the Clark Street Bridge looking toward LaSalle; Dearborn, one bridge east, gives almost the same canyon. The drawing bends the skyline, so we leave the tower at the end of the view unnamed: the bridge, the water and the lit bank are exactly here.
Any Thursday to Sunday from early April to late December, when the projections on the Mart run (10 September to 27 December 2026 at 19:30). Overcast autumn nights copy the warm brown sky best; mid-October to early December is our pick.
The hour: Full night, 60–90 minutes after sunset: about 19:15–20:15 in mid-October and 17:30–18:30 from mid-November. Sunset is 18:05 on 17 October, 16:37 on 7 November and 16:19 in early December, Chicago time (our own calculation); in autumn shoot right after the projections end at 20:00.
Avoid: Clear blue-hour skies, which look nothing like the frame. Windy nights, and the minute after a tour boat passes, which both break the reflections. Monday to Wednesday if you want the projections in the picture.
The 15th of each month, local time.
| date | sunrise | golden hour | sunset | blue hour ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | 07:02 | 17:08 | 18:08 | 18:36 |
| Nov 2026 | 06:40 | 15:29 | 16:29 | 16:59 |
| Dec 2026 | 07:11 | 15:20 | 16:20 | 16:51 |
| Jan 2027 | 07:15 | 15:44 | 16:44 | 17:15 |
| Feb 2027 | 06:46 | 16:23 | 17:23 | 17:52 |
| Mar 2027 | 07:02 | 17:56 | 18:56 | 19:24 |
| Apr 2027 | 06:10 | 18:31 | 19:31 | 20:00 |
| May 2027 | 05:30 | 19:03 | 20:03 | 20:35 |
| Jun 2027 | 05:14 | 19:27 | 20:27 | 21:01 |
| Jul 2027 | 05:28 | 19:24 | 20:24 | 20:57 |
| Aug 2027 | 05:58 | 18:50 | 19:50 | 20:20 |
| Sep 2027 | 06:30 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 19:28 |
the weekly note: one place and its hour, one story, one tip. a tap in the first mail confirms it.