Santa Cruz · Monterey · Big Sur · Thursday, July 23
Photographers toolbox
Golden and blue hour, where the sun sets against each viewpoint's view, fog and tide at the spot, and a
calendar file to carry the plan. Scores are estimates; how they are made is at the bottom.
Astronomically dark 10:04 PM to 4:23 AM.
Moon 76% lit; moon-free 1:39 AM to 4:23 AM.
Milky Way coreCore visible 1:39 AM to 2:04 AM, peaking at 13 degrees in the SW.
Core height by half hour: 10:04 PM 24° S · 10:34 PM 24° S · 11:04 PM 24° S · 11:34 PM 23° SSW · 12:04 AM 22° SSW · 12:34 AM 20° SSW · 1:04 AM 17° SSW · 1:34 AM 13° SW · 2:04 AM 10° SW · 2:34 AM 5° SW · 3:04 AM 1° SW.
Best season. Best season for the Milky Way core, May to August. It is up for hours after dark, low in the south and brightest toward Sagittarius.
Alignment calendar · when the sun lines up
McWay Falls overlook, Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP
Sun down the axis of McWay Cove: the sun sets at about 260°.
This direction is a map estimate, not yet checked on site.
Within 3°
Within 1°
Closest day
Oct 8 to Oct 20
Oct 12 to Oct 16
Oct 14, 6:31 PM at 260.1°
Feb 20, 2027 to Mar 4, 2027
Feb 24, 2027 to Feb 28, 2027
Feb 26, 2027, 5:58 PM at 260.1°
Target 260 degrees is the middle of the overlook's 235-285 view, taken as the line down the cove toward the open Pacific. It is a map estimate, not a field measurement: stand on the overlook trail with a compass and adjust.
Pfeiffer Beach keyhole (Keyhole Arch)
Sun through the keyhole: the sun sets at about 242°.
This direction is a map estimate, not yet checked on site.
Within 3°
Within 1°
Closest day
Nov 23 to Jan 17, 2027
Dec 2 to Jan 9, 2027
Jan 3, 2027, 5:04 PM at 242.0°
Sun sets through the arch only while it sets at 240-250 degrees: mid-December to mid-January. Clear the horizon, check the tide and the surf.
Some forecast feeds did not answer (tides). Sun and moon times are exact; the
fog, tide and swell lines that depend on those feeds are left blank rather than guessed.
Target 260 degrees is the middle of the overlook's 235-285 view, taken as the line down the cove toward the open Pacific. It is a map estimate, not a field measurement: stand on the overlook trail with a compass and adjust.
It starts from the Sundown Oracle sunset score: low and high cloud plus visibility at sunset, from the regional forecast.
Fog at golden hour in the spot's own forecast cell: 80% or more takes 2 points off, 60% or more takes 1, 25% or less adds 1.
Facing: the sun setting inside the view the spot faces adds 1; just off the edge takes 1; out of view takes 3. Turnouts without a set facing are not scored on direction.
Night sky: astronomical dark is the sun more than 18 degrees below the horizon. The Milky Way core is the galactic centre (Sagittarius A*, 17h45m, minus 29 degrees) computed from the date, time and place; it counts as shootable when it is at least 10 degrees up, in the dark, with the moon down (a moon under 10% lit is ignored). Windows are good to about five minutes.
Alignment calendar: the dates the sun sets (or rises) within 3 degrees of a spot's target direction, with the part within 1 degree called out. Near the solstices the sun's direction barely changes from day to day, so those windows are weeks long. Target directions are map estimates until someone checks them on site.
Golden hour is the sun between 6 degrees above the horizon and 4 below; blue hour is 4 to 8 below. Sun and moon directions are computed, not forecast.
Places inside a Highway 1 no-stopping zone are never scored or planned. Forecast data: NOAA models via Open-Meteo, NOAA tide predictions; astral for sun and moon positions.