Gentle seasons at 25° North
Close to the tropics, Dubai's daylight only swings between about 10 hours 40 minutes in December and 13 hours 35 minutes in June. The sun stays high all year, which keeps golden hours short — roughly 25–30 minutes — but the desert horizon over the Gulf gives unobstructed views for every one of them.
Desert haze and the golden hour
Dust in the atmosphere softens and reddens Dubai's low sun more than most cities — golden hour often starts warm early and stays usable longer, while midday light is the harshest of any city on this list. Plan shoots for the first and last 30 minutes of daylight and the sky does the rest.
Sources and standards
Where these figures come from
Every formula on this page is implemented from the published reference material below. Where a value depends on a regional code, the calculator lets you override it rather than assuming one jurisdiction.
- NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory — Solar Calculator — the solar position algorithm underlying sunrise, sunset and solar noon.
- NASA Science — Sun — solar geometry and the definition of civil, nautical and astronomical twilight.
- NIST Time and Frequency Division — time standards and the definition of the day.
Figures, formulas and reference tables last verified: 24 September 2026.