It's the magical hour. It's the warm lighting, perfect for pictures. It's the nostalgia of summer memories.

Formally, golden hour is defined as the first hour after sunrise and the hour just before sunset. But, colloquially, it has taken on a much broader meaning of warmth, tranquility, and radiance. Due to these associations, golden hour photos are commonplace on social media, and many artists have drawn inspiration from this stunning time of day.

If you've ever wondered why golden hour feels like a comforting, nostalgic hug, here's why:

The Science

Image Credit: Mayeul de Buyer from Unsplash

Why does the sky dramatically change colors from light blue to bright hues during golden hour? The answer lies in science.

When the sun is between 4 degrees under and 6 degrees above the horizon, two phenomena occur. One is that because of the sun's position in the sky, the light waves have to pass through more of the atmosphere. Due to this greater distance traveled, more Rayleigh scattering occurs. Rayleigh scattering refers to the dispersing of different visible light wavelengths as these light waves come into contact with significantly smaller molecules within the Earth's atmosphere.

Blue wavelengths tend to scatter more than red, orange, and yellow light waves, creating the iconic golden hour seen (and admired) daily.

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The Art

Image Credit: Thomas Moran from Wikimedia Commons

Throughout history, many artists have drawn inspiration from golden hour, especially focusing on the interactions between rays of sunlight and natural landscapes.

The French Impressionist Claude Monet often depicted breathtaking scenes from nature with the familiar golden hues. As a master of capturing light, Monet would regularly focus on the same subject matter across paintings in a series and depict these subjects at different times throughout the day (and the year) when varying amounts of light would reflect on said elements. Monte's famous Grainstack represents his focus on the effects of light as it interacts with his neighbor's haystacks across 30 unique paintings.

Others like Thomas Moran utilized golden hour artwork to tell the stories of the majestic beauty of mountains, valleys, lakes, and ravines in now famous U.S. National Parks in Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona.

Today, golden hour continues to capture the attention of artists. Several well-known moments in pop culture, like La La Land's "A Lovely Night" scene, take place during this magical time. Photographers also often capture their subjects during golden hour due to the natural warm lighting, which makes these hours well captured on social media.

The Feeling

Image Credit: Spencer Watson from Unsplash

Beyond the science and art of golden hour, there's something so simple yet powerful about this time. Every day, people all over the world get to experience these magical moments as the sky puts on a show, diffusing the harsh shadows while emitting enchanting light fit for a film.

No matter where I am when I feel the soft, warm light wrap around the landscape, I am transported back to memories of the past, hopes for the future, and a general feeling of comfort. Golden hour is truly like a hug from nature, reminding us of the magic of everyday life. It allows us to stop and admire all of the small moments that we might not have time to reflect on during the day.

In addition, golden hour transports us back to our childhood. Vague memories of smiling, laughing, and singing. Recollections of riding a bike for the first time, skipping stones into the ocean, and dancing to your favorite tunes. It also encompasses future dreams. Finally getting your driver's license. Checking off a bucket list destination. Achieving your academic goals.

Today, I suggest taking a pre-sunset walk or gazing out your window to allow the memories to come flowing back as the outdoors envelops the horizon into a relaxing, warm hug.