Sunset, golden hour and darkness times on the Isle of Wight for the next fortnight, the moonless nights for stargazing, and where to watch from.
By Steve Dumas
Published
Sunset tonight
6.05pm
Golden hour from 5.19pm
Properly dark
7.54pm
until 5.49am
The moon
68% lit
Waxing gibbous, rises 3.53pm
A bright fortnight. The moon is up for most of the dark hours on every night in the next two weeks, so it is a better time for moonlit walks and sunsets than for the Milky Way.
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset | Dark from | Moon | For stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 20 Oct | 7.36am | 5.19pm | 6.05pm | 7.54pm | 68% | Late or early |
| Wed 21 Oct | 7.38am | 5.17pm | 6.03pm | 7.53pm | 77% | Moonlit |
| Thu 22 Oct | 7.40am | 5.15pm | 6.01pm | 7.51pm | 85% | Moonlit |
| Fri 23 Oct | 7.41am | 5.13pm | 5.59pm | 7.49pm | 91% | Moonlit |
| Sat 24 Oct | 7.43am | 5.11pm | 5.57pm | 7.47pm | 96% | Moonlit |
| Sun 25 Oct | 6.45am | 4.08pm | 4.55pm | 6.45pm | 99% | Moonlit |
| Mon 26 Oct | 6.47am | 4.06pm | 4.53pm | 6.43pm | 100% | Moonlit |
| Tue 27 Oct | 6.48am | 4.04pm | 4.51pm | 6.42pm | 98% | Moonlit |
| Wed 28 Oct | 6.50am | 4.02pm | 4.50pm | 6.40pm | 93% | Moonlit |
| Thu 29 Oct | 6.52am | 4pm | 4.48pm | 6.38pm | 86% | Moonlit |
| Fri 30 Oct | 6.53am | 3.58pm | 4.46pm | 6.37pm | 77% | Moonlit |
| Sat 31 Oct | 6.55am | 3.56pm | 4.44pm | 6.35pm | 67% | Moonlit |
| Sun 1 Nov | 6.57am | 3.54pm | 4.42pm | 6.34pm | 55% | Late or early |
| Mon 2 Nov | 6.59am | 3.52pm | 4.41pm | 6.32pm | 44% | Late or early |
Calculated for the middle of the island. Sunset at the Needles is about two minutes later than at Bembridge. “Dark from” is the end of astronomical twilight, when the sun is 18° below the horizon.
Faces west
A chalk ridge running west to the Needles, with the Tennyson Monument on top and the sun going down beyond the end of the island. The Needles headland is also one of Visit Isle of Wight's suggested stargazing spots.
Parking: Council car park at Freshwater Bay, then walk up the down
Faces west
National Trust heathland above Alum Bay with the Needles in view as the sun sets. The old Hatherwood Battery on the top makes a good picnic seat.
Faces west
Park at Colwell and walk the sea wall south towards Totland with the sun ahead of you over the western Solent, then come back along the cliff top.
Parking: Council car park on Colwell Chine Road
Faces west
A long wooden pier over the western Solent, where the evening colours reflect off the water. There is a small toll to walk out on it.
Parking: Short-stay Pier Square car park; long stay at River Road
Faces south-west
A long sandy bay on the dark south-west coast, with Tennyson Down and the Needles to the west at sunset. Visit Isle of Wight lists it among stargazing spots that have a car park.
Parking: National Trust car parks on the Military Road; no overnight parking
Faces south-west
High ground above Chale Bay topped by St Catherine's Oratory, a medieval lighthouse known as the Pepperpot. Walk up before sundown to watch the sunset and then stay for the stars, with the tower as a foreground for photos.
Faces west
A chalk headland at the east end of the island. In the evening you can watch the light move from Bembridge and Whitecliff Bay across Sandown and Ventnor before the sun sets in the west, and it is one of Visit Isle of Wight's stargazing spots with a car park.
Parking: Car park on the down
The island has no official dark-sky designation yet. In December 2021 the Isle of Wight Council agreed to back a bid for International Dark Sky Park status across the south-west of the island, inside the National Landscape (formerly the AONB), roughly between Freshwater, Chale and the edge of Newport, and to change street lighting to help it. Fort Victoria Country Park near Yarmouth is a Dark Sky Discovery site, and the darkest skies are along the south-west coast by the Military Road.
A chalk ridge running west to the Needles, with the Tennyson Monument on top and the sun going down beyond the end of the island. The Needles headland is also one of Visit Isle of Wight's suggested stargazing spots.
Parking: Council car park at Freshwater Bay, then walk up the down
The island's Dark Sky Discovery site. You can observe from the car park itself, which is level and suits wheelchair users; take care beyond the marked edge.
Parking: Hard-surfaced car park with level access
A long sandy bay on the dark south-west coast, with Tennyson Down and the Needles to the west at sunset. Visit Isle of Wight lists it among stargazing spots that have a car park.
Parking: National Trust car parks on the Military Road; no overnight parking
A small cove where the chalk downs meet the sea, looking out over the open Channel. The car park is right by the beach, so it is an easy place to look up after dark.
Parking: Council car park beside the bay
High ground above Chale Bay topped by St Catherine's Oratory, a medieval lighthouse known as the Pepperpot. Walk up before sundown to watch the sunset and then stay for the stars, with the tower as a foreground for photos.
A chalk headland at the east end of the island. In the evening you can watch the light move from Bembridge and Whitecliff Bay across Sandown and Ventnor before the sun sets in the west, and it is one of Visit Isle of Wight's stargazing spots with a car park.
Parking: Car park on the down
Take a torch with a red light, let your eyes adjust for 20 minutes, and stay well back from cliff edges in the dark. For a coastal walk to a sunset spot, check the tide times first.
Sunset is at 6.05pm on Tuesday 20 October, with golden hour from about 5.19pm. By Monday 2 November it will be 4.41pm.
The west-facing end of the island: Tennyson Down and the Needles headland, Headon Warren, Colwell Bay to Totland, Yarmouth Pier. In summer the sun sets over the Solent and the New Forest from the north-west coast; in winter it goes down further south, behind the Needles headland.
The island has no official dark-sky designation yet. In December 2021 the Isle of Wight Council agreed to back a bid for International Dark Sky Park status across the south-west of the island, inside the National Landscape (formerly the AONB), roughly between Freshwater, Chale and the edge of Newport, and to change street lighting to help it. Fort Victoria Country Park near Yarmouth is a Dark Sky Discovery site, and the darkest skies are along the south-west coast by the Military Road.
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