Blue hour by Marianna Bucina Roca in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
When you see a strong blue tone to photographs, it could be that the photographer has taken advantage of the blue hour. That’s a time of day when the sun has just set or is about to rise, when the sky overhead takes on a deep blue color, and when the landscape is suffused with bluish light. The blue hour is a good time to take photos of the moon, because then the moon’s glare isn’t so bright in contrast to the sky. It’s also a good time to take landscape photos, as the photos on this page show. Photography.about.com says:
The blue hour … doesn’t even come close to lasting a full hour. In reality, what photographers call the blue hour really only lasts about 20 minutes. The blue hour generally lasts the 20 to 30 minutes just after sunset and just before sunrise. For example, if the sun sets at 5 p.m., the blue hour would last from approximately 5:10 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.. If the sun rises at 5 a.m., the blue hour lasts from about 4:30 a.m. to 4:50 a.m.
The exact timing of the blue hour will vary from location to location and change depending on time of year and air quality.
Blue hour of the Mighty Gore Range in Summit County, Colorado by Daniel McVey.Blue hour over Silverthorne, Colorado by Daniel McVey.Blue hour over the lower Blue River Valley in Summit County, Colorado by Daniel McVey. Photo taken February 2014.Blue hour over the Bothnian Sea, Sweden, by Jörgen Norrland Andersson.Blue hour over the Atlantic by Josh Blash in Hampton, New Hampshire. Photo taken April, 2013.
Bottom line: The blue hour – when the sun is below the horizon, when the sky is deep blue and the landscape is suffused with bluish light – is a good time to take photos. Blue hour photos from EarthSky friends on Facebook, and more information about the blue hour, in this post.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
Like what you read? Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.