📷 Golden Hour & Photography Conditions
Sunrise and sunset sky quality forecast for the next 8 days • Last checked: 00:42 on Thursday 29 October 2026
Not every sunrise or sunset is worth setting an alarm for or standing on the beach for. This page scores each one on the three things that actually decide whether the sky lights up: whether the horizon is clear enough for the sun's light to get through, whether there's enough cloud up above to catch and reflect that colour, and how hazy the air is. For exact sunrise/sunset times and day length, see the Sun and Moon Observational Data page - this one is about whether it'll look good, not when it happens.
Today
Thursday 29 Oct
🌅 Sunrise 06:52
35
Fair - low expectations
🌃 Sunset 16:45
5
Poor - probably not worth it
Some low cloud near the horizon, worth checking closer to the time.
Low cloud sitting on the horizon - light may not break through.
Tomorrow
Friday 30 Oct
🌅 Sunrise 06:54
70
Decent - possible colour
🌃 Sunset 16:43
74
Excellent - worth heading out
Clear sky - pleasant, but a plain canvas with no clouds to catch colour.
Clear sky - pleasant, but a plain canvas with no clouds to catch colour.
Sat 31 Oct
Saturday
🌅 Sunrise 06:55
61
Decent - possible colour
🌃 Sunset 16:42
16
Poor - probably not worth it
Clear sky - pleasant, but a plain canvas with no clouds to catch colour.
Low cloud sitting on the horizon - light may not break through.
Sun 1 Nov
Sunday
🌅 Sunrise 06:57
5
Poor - probably not worth it
🌃 Sunset 16:40
37
Fair - low expectations
Low cloud sitting on the horizon - light may not break through.
Low cloud sitting on the horizon - light may not break through.
Mon 2 Nov
Monday
🌅 Sunrise 06:59
80
Excellent - worth heading out
🌃 Sunset 16:38
36
Fair - low expectations
Clear sky - pleasant, but a plain canvas with no clouds to catch colour.
Some low cloud near the horizon, worth checking closer to the time.
Tue 3 Nov
Tuesday
🌅 Sunrise 07:00
86
Excellent - worth heading out
🌃 Sunset 16:36
27
Fair - low expectations
An ordinary sky today - decent for a walk, no guarantees for the camera.
Low cloud sitting on the horizon - light may not break through.
Wed 4 Nov
Wednesday
🌅 Sunrise 07:02
28
Fair - low expectations
🌃 Sunset 16:35
61
Decent - possible colour
Low cloud sitting on the horizon - light may not break through.
Clear sky - pleasant, but a plain canvas with no clouds to catch colour.
Thu 5 Nov
Thursday
🌅 Sunrise 07:04
86
Excellent - worth heading out
🌃 Sunset 16:33
79
Excellent - worth heading out
A quiet one for the sky - save the memory card for another day.
Clear sky - pleasant, but a plain canvas with no clouds to catch colour.
Sunrise vs sunset score, and colour-canvas cloud cover
About this data
This is a modelled guide, not a guarantee. The score combines three real forecast factors from Open-Meteo: low-level cloud cover (whether the horizon is clear enough for the light to reach the sky at all - the single biggest factor), mid/high cloud cover (the "canvas" that actually catches and reflects colour - too little and the sky stays plain, too much and it blocks the light entirely), and visibility (haze mutes and browns-out colour). None of this replaces actually looking at the sky an hour or so before the event - forecasts get less reliable the further out they are, and a clearing band of cloud on the horizon can turn a mediocre forecast into a spectacular sky with very little warning.
For the exact sunrise/sunset times and day length, see Sun & Moon Times. Forecast data refreshes every 30 minutes from Open-Meteo for Southampton.
See also: Sun & Moon Times • Dog Walking Weather Advisory • UV Forecast