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Best Time to Photograph Vadodara

India, Gujarāt · 22.3°N, 73.2°E · UTC+5.5 (Asia/Kolkata)

Sunrise & Sunset page →

Planning a shoot in Vadodara? This planner gives you today's golden hour, blue hour, and Milky Way windows — plus a 400-day ephemeris to find the best time to photograph Vadodara any day of the year.

Astronomical Dusk
3:29 AM
Stars, Milky Way possible
◈ White Hour (eve)
2:37 AM – 3:03 AM
26 min · purple-blue sky · deep twilight
Blue Hour (eve)
2:37 AM – 2:15 AM
Civil twilight · cityscape
★ Golden Hour (eve)
1:45 AM – 2:15 AM
30 min · warm directional light
Solar Noon
8:12 PM
Harsh overhead light
★ Golden Hour (morn)
2:09 PM – 2:38 PM
29 min · warm low light
Blue Hour (morn)
1:47 PM – 2:09 PM
Civil twilight · blue sky
◈ White Hour (morn)
1:21 PM – 1:47 PM
26 min · purple pre-dawn sky
🌑
New Moon — 3% illuminated · Moonrise 7:11 AM · Moonset 7:41 PM Dark sky night
☁️
Silver Hour — Overcast Photography

When clouds fill the sky the overcast layer becomes a giant natural softbox — harsh shadows disappear, skin tones render evenly, and colours are rich and gentle. This "silver hour" effect works throughout the day with no specific time window. Ideal for portraits, macro, and forest scenes. Not suitable for golden-sky sunsets; excellent for everything else on overcast days.

Photography Light Conditions — Vadodara Today

Today's photography conditions across four dimensions. Scores are based on golden hour duration and moon phase — no live weather data (max 8/10 for golden hour since cloud cover varies).

🌅
Morning Golden Hour
Fair
6/10

29 min golden hour — shorter window; sun rises steeply near the equator.

Window: 2:09 PM – 2:38 PM
🌇
Evening Golden Hour
Fair
6/10

30 min golden hour — shorter window; sun sets steeply near the equator.

Window: 1:45 AM – 2:15 AM
Night — Stars & Milky Way
Excellent
10/10

3% moon — dark sky tonight. Milky Way & deep-sky photography ideal.

Moon: 🌑 New Moon · 3% lit
🌕
Night — Moonlit Landscapes
No Moonlight
1/10

3% moon — very dim; not suitable for moonlit photography.

Moonrise: 7:11 AM · Moonset: 7:41 PM

Sun Direction for Photography — Vadodara

N E S W
Sunrise azimuth 90° (E)
Sunset azimuth 270° (W)
The sunrise azimuth shifts 50° between June solstice (65° ENE) and December solstice (115° ESE). A subject at E of your position will be front-lit at today's sunrise.
Light comes from the E at morning golden hour and from the W at evening golden hour. Subjects facing E at dawn are front-lit with warm directional light.
☀️ Sun altitude now:
📐 Shooting Direction Guide
Front-lit Face E at morning golden hour — sun rises behind you, subject bathed in warm directional light.
Front-lit Face W at evening golden hour — sun sets behind you, ideal for portraits and architecture.
Backlit Face W at dawn or E at dusk — sun behind subject for silhouettes, rim-light, and lens flare.
Side-lit Face 90° from the sun bearing — raking shadows bring out texture in landscapes, rock faces, and architecture.
Milky Way Face South — the galactic core rises in the southern sky from this latitude.

Vadodara Photography Planner — Mar 16 → Apr 20, 2027

All times in UTC+5.5 (Asia/Kolkata). 401 days · today's row is highlighted automatically. ★ Dark sky = moon ≤ 15% — Milky Way possible. 🌙 Moon-Sun = moonrise within 30 min of sunset — moonlit landscape window.

📖 What do these columns mean? (click to expand)
Golden Hour ▲ / ▼ The ~1 hour after sunrise (▲) and ~1 hour before sunset (▼). Sun is low, light is warm orange/gold and highly directional — ideal for landscapes, portraits, and architectural photography. Duration changes with latitude and season.
Blue Hour (Blue End / Blue Start) Civil twilight — when the sun is between 0° and 6° below the horizon. The sky is a vivid deep blue. Great for cityscapes (buildings lit, sky balanced). "Blue End" is morning (after blue hour, before sunrise). "Blue Start" is evening (just after sunset).
Solar Noon The moment the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. Light is harsh, near-vertical, and creates unflattering shadows. Avoid for most outdoor subjects unless using shade or diffusers.
Astronomical Dusk / Dawn When the sun is 18° below the horizon — the sky is fully dark with zero twilight glow. Stars, the Milky Way, and aurora are visible. The window between astronomical dusk and astronomical dawn is the "dark window" used for Milky Way timing.
Moon % (illumination) What percentage of the moon's visible face is lit by the sun. New moon = 0% (darkest night). Full moon = 100% (bright moonlit night). For Milky Way photography, aim for ≤15% (a few days around new moon).
MW — Milky Way Rating Ex (Excellent) — dark sky + galactic core well above horizon for 3+ hours.
Good — usable window of 1–3 hours.
Mg (Marginal) — short window (<1 hr) or low core altitude (<10°).
Poor — barely possible; moon interference or very low core.
✗ Not Possible — moon too bright (>50%) or galactic core below horizon all night.
Moon–Sun Window (🌙) When the moon rises within 30 minutes of sunset, you have a brief golden-hour window with both the warm sunset sky and the moon in frame — ideal for moonrise-over-water and moon-behind-landmark shots.
Dark Sky Night (★) Moon illumination ≤15%. The lunar influence on sky brightness is minimal, making it the best window for Milky Way, nebula, and deep-sky photography.
Azimuth (Sun Position) Compass bearing in degrees: 0°/360° = North, 90° = East, 180° = South, 270° = West. Use sunrise azimuth to align your shot so the sun rises behind or beside your subject for dramatic backlit or side-lit silhouettes.
ND Filter (Neutral Density) A darkened lens filter that reduces light without changing colours. ND stops double the required exposure: ND10 (10 stops) turns a 1/500s shot into a ~2 second exposure, smoothing water and removing crowds. Higher stops = longer exposure.
Timelapse interval / fps / clip Interval = seconds between shots. fps = frames per second in the final video. Clip length = desired final video duration in seconds. Shots needed = fps × clip. RAW size = your camera's RAW file size per shot (check your camera: typically 20–45 MB).
Galactic Core / MW Window The galactic core (Sagittarius star cloud, RA 266°, Dec −29°) is the brightest and most photogenic part of the Milky Way. It is only above the horizon during certain months and hours — this page calculates exactly when it's high enough (≥5°) and the sky is dark enough to photograph it.
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Date Sunrise Golden ▲ gh morn Blue End civil dawn Noon Blue Start civil dusk Golden ▼ gh eve Sunset Moonrise Moon % MW milky way
Mon, Mar 16 6:46 AM 7:16 AM 6:24 AM 12:46 PM 7:09 PM 6:17 PM 6:46 PM 4:51 AM 🌘 8% Ex
Tue, Mar 17 6:45 AM 7:15 AM 6:23 AM 12:46 PM 7:09 PM 6:17 PM 6:47 PM 5:27 AM 🌑 3% Ex
Wed, Mar 18 6:44 AM 7:14 AM 6:22 AM 12:46 PM 7:09 PM 6:17 PM 6:47 PM 6:02 AM 🌑 1% Ex
Thu, Mar 19 6:43 AM 7:13 AM 6:21 AM 12:45 PM 7:10 PM 6:18 PM 6:47 PM 6:36 AM 🌑 0% Ex
Fri, Mar 20 Today 6:42 AM 7:12 AM 6:20 AM 12:45 PM 7:10 PM 6:18 PM 6:48 PM 7:11 AM 🌑 2% Ex
Sat, Mar 21 6:41 AM 7:11 AM 6:19 AM 12:45 PM 7:10 PM 6:19 PM 6:48 PM 7:49 AM 🌒 6% Ex
Sun, Mar 22 6:40 AM 7:10 AM 6:18 AM 12:44 PM 7:11 PM 6:19 PM 6:48 PM 8:30 AM 🌒 12% Ex
Mon, Mar 23 6:39 AM 7:09 AM 6:17 AM 12:44 PM 7:11 PM 6:19 PM 6:49 PM 9:16 AM 🌒 20% Good
Tue, Mar 24 6:38 AM 7:08 AM 6:16 AM 12:44 PM 7:11 PM 6:20 PM 6:49 PM 10:08 AM 🌒 29% Good
Wed, Mar 25 6:37 AM 7:07 AM 6:15 AM 12:43 PM 7:12 PM 6:20 PM 6:49 PM 11:05 AM 🌓 39% Good
Thu, Mar 26 6:36 AM 7:06 AM 6:14 AM 12:43 PM 7:12 PM 6:20 PM 6:50 PM 12:07 PM 🌓 49% Good

Milky Way Window — Vadodara

Excellent Tonight's Milky Way Window

7.8h dark window — excellent Milky Way conditions

Core rises: 1:50 AM
Dark window: 3:29 AM – 12:53 PM
MW window: 3:29 AM – 11:14 AM
Duration: 7h 45m

Best Days — Next 30 Days

Mar 20
Excellent
🌑 2% moon
3.6h window
Mar 21
Excellent
🌒 6% moon
3.7h window
Mar 22
Excellent
🌒 12% moon
3.7h window
Mar 23
Good
🌒 20% moon
3.8h window
Mar 24
Good
🌒 29% moon
3.8h window
Mar 25
Good
🌓 39% moon
3.9h window
Mar 26
Good
🌓 49% moon
3.9h window
Apr 12
Good
🌘 28% moon
4.7h window
Apr 13
Good
🌘 19% moon
4.8h window
Apr 14
Excellent
🌘 11% moon
4.8h window
Apr 15
Excellent
🌘 5% moon
4.9h window
Apr 16
Excellent
🌑 2% moon
4.9h window
Apr 17
Excellent
🌑 0% moon
5h window
Apr 18
Excellent
🌑 1% moon
5h window
Apr 19
Excellent
🌑 4% moon
5.1h window

ND Filter Calculator

Long-exposure shutter speed calculator. Enter your meter-reading shutter speed (no filter), choose your ND filter strength, and get the corrected exposure time. Stops = exposure doublings: each stop doubles the shutter. ND1000 = 10 stops = ×1024 exposure time.

ND Filter Exposure

seconds (e.g. 0.002 = 1/500s)
Required exposure:
Effect:
Golden hour remaining today:
Possible exposures in window:

Timelapse Calculator

Enter your planned shoot duration, desired video length (clip), and playback speed (fps). The calculator gives you the shot interval, total shots, and storage needed.

Today's golden hour → astronomical dusk window
Interval between shots:
Total shots needed:
Storage required:
Tonight's shoot window:
Shots in tonight's window:

Star Trail Planning — Vadodara

Star trails are created by stacking many long exposures — the Earth's rotation draws arcs across the frame. Point toward Polaris (North Star) for circular trails centred on a fixed point.

Polaris Altitude
22°
Low Polaris — wide sweeping arcs with a smaller centre circle. Great for landscapes with radial star trails.
🌑
Dark Sky Window Tonight
9h 24m
9h 24m of dark sky — excellent window for 4+ hour circular trail stacks.
Dark from 3:29 AM to 12:53 PM

Star Trail Arc Calculator

The Earth rotates 15° per hour. Enter your planned exposure duration to see how long the star arcs will be in the final image.

minutes
seconds
Star arc length:
Frames to stack:
Fits in dark window:
Pole start direction:North (toward Polaris)
Pole altitude:22° above horizon

Nearby Cities

📍 Best Photography Spots in Vadodara

You know your golden hour window — now find the best locations to shoot. Landmarks, viewpoints, temples, and hidden gems in Vadodara.

Explore Vadodara attractions → india-guide.in

Photography FAQ — Vadodara

City-specific answers about golden hour, Milky Way timing, sun direction and more — all computed from Vadodara's exact coordinates.

What time is golden hour in Vadodara today?

Morning golden hour: 2:09 PM – 2:38 PM (29 min). Evening: 1:45 AM – 2:15 AM (30 min). All times UTC+5.5.

How long is golden hour in Vadodara today?

Morning: 29 min. Evening: 30 min. Total today: 59 min.

What time is blue hour in Vadodara today?

Morning blue hour: 1:47 PM – 2:09 PM. Evening: starts at 2:37 AM. Blue hour = civil twilight (sun 0–6° below horizon) — rich deep blue sky, ideal for cityscapes.

What time is white hour (nautical twilight) in Vadodara today?

Morning: 1:21 PM – 1:47 PM (26 min). Evening: 2:37 AM – 3:03 AM (26 min). White hour = nautical twilight — deep purple-blue sky, great for moody landscapes.

When is solar noon in Vadodara today?

Solar noon: 8:12 PM UTC+5.5. Near-vertical harsh light — avoid for portraits and landscapes. Use shade or diffusion if shooting midday.

Which direction does the sun rise in Vadodara?

Sun rises at 90° (E). Subjects E of your position are front-lit with warm directional light at sunrise.

Which direction does the sun set in Vadodara?

Sun sets at 270° (W). Face W for front-lit portraits at golden hour; face E for silhouettes against the sunset.

How much does the sunrise direction shift seasonally in Vadodara?

The sunrise azimuth in Vadodara swings 50° — from 65° (ENE) at the June solstice to 115° (ESE) at December solstice. Use this for landmark-alignment shots.

Which direction should I face for front-lit photography in Vadodara?

Face E (90°) at morning golden hour — sun behind you, subjects bathed in warm directional light. For silhouettes face W so the sun rises behind your subject.

What is the moon phase in Vadodara tonight?

New Moon at 3% illumination. Dark sky conditions — ideal for Milky Way and astrophotography.

What time does the moon rise and set in Vadodara tonight?

Moonrise: 7:11 AM · Moonset: 7:41 PM (UTC+5.5). Moon rises before sunset — moonlit dusk window open.

Can I photograph the Milky Way from Vadodara tonight?

Yes. 7.8h dark window — excellent Milky Way conditions Window: 3:29 AM – 11:14 AM (7h 45m).

How long is the Milky Way window in Vadodara tonight?

7h 45m (3:29 AM – 11:14 AM). Overlap of astronomical darkness with galactic core ≥5° above the horizon.

What is the photography light quality in Vadodara today?

Light Quality Index — Morning GH: 6/10 (Fair), Evening GH: 6/10 (Fair), Night Stars: 10/10 (Excellent), Moonlit: 1/10 (No Moonlight). Scores based on golden hour duration and moon phase only.

How long is the dark sky window in Vadodara tonight?

9h 24m (3:29 AM – 12:53 PM UTC+5.5). Fully dark sky — no twilight glow. Ideal for star trails, Milky Way, deep-sky photography.

What is the Polaris altitude in Vadodara for star trail photography?

Polaris is 22° above the northern horizon from Vadodara. Low-mid — classic radial arc composition. Point north for circular star trails.