Driftwood Beach · painted for this minute from Jekyll Island’s own horizon and tonight’s cloud forecast
Golden hour · the sun is 1.5° up · clear at 25%
The sun goes down at
6:35 PM
T-00:05:00Jekyll Island faces east, so the sun goes down behind you, over land, 7 min before the official sunset time of 6:42 PM. Face the water for the pink afterglow in the half hour after. Driftwood Beach is in the view. Best light from 6:15 PM to 7:05 PM.
Sunset Score · Mostly clear (27% cloud): a good, dependable glow.
Prefer the real thing? Watch the live Jekyll Island cam →
Know Before You Go
Beach access
$10/day
island gate fee covers all lots
Best driftwood
low tide
more trees bare as the tide drops
Best spot
north end
Driftwood Beach, open horizon
Live cam
Jekyll
watch the light over the trees
see you at sunset
Tonight’s times, the week ahead and the year by month are below. Golden Hour runs nightly, weather permitting, from about two hours before sunset.
Tonight, Wednesday, October 28, the sun sets at 6:42 PM at Jekyll Island. Jekyll Island faces east, so the sun goes down behind the beach, over land. Turn and face the water for the pink and purple afterglow in the half hour after. Golden hour starts at 6:08 PM, and the sky stays light until about 7:06 PM. Tonight's Sunset Score is 7 out of 10. Mostly clear (27% cloud): a good, dependable glow.
Sunrise today was at 7:39 AM, which gives Jekyll Island 11 hr 3 min of daylight. It is fully dark by about 7:35 PM.
The next seven evenings at Jekyll Island: when the sun goes down, when golden hour starts and when the last light fades, plus the Sunset Score from each night's cloud forecast.
| Day | Sunset | Golden hour | Last light | Cloud | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonight | 6:42 PM | from 6:08 PM | 7:06 PM | 27% | 7/10 |
| Thu Oct 29 | 6:41 PM | from 6:07 PM | 7:05 PM | 99% | 3/10 |
| Fri Oct 30 | 6:41 PM | from 6:06 PM | 7:04 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Sat Oct 31 | 6:40 PM | from 6:05 PM | 7:03 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Sun Nov 1 | 5:39 PM | from 5:04 PM | 6:03 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Mon Nov 2 | 5:38 PM | from 5:03 PM | 6:02 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Tue Nov 3 | 5:37 PM | from 5:02 PM | 6:01 PM | 51% | 9/10 |
Jekyll Island faces east, away from the sunset. The sun goes down behind you, over land, so the view to catch is the afterglow: the band of pink above the dark blue shadow of the earth rising over the water, best from sunset to about 30 minutes after.
Tonight’s timeline for Golden Hour is at the top of this page.
Can’t make it to the beach? Watch the live Jekyll Island cam at sunset.
The spot where the sun sets moves along the horizon through the year. Around June 21 it goes down furthest north, in the west-north-west (297°); around December 21 it goes down furthest south, in the west-south-west (242°). In June it sets behind the beach. In December it sets behind the beach.
Golden hour tonight runs from 6:08 PM to sunset at 6:42 PM. The sun is low, the light is warm and soft, and shadows are long. It is the best time for photos of people on the beach.
Blue hour follows, from about 6:57 PM to 7:16 PM, when the sun is below the horizon and the sky turns deep blue. The first lights come on along the shore and the water holds the last of the color.
Sunrise, sunset and daylight on the 15th of each month. Over the next year the earliest sunset is 5:25 PM (Thu Dec 3) and the latest is 8:35 PM (Wed Jun 30). Times are local and include daylight saving time where it applies.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 7:29 AM | 6:56 PM | 11 hr 26 min |
| November 2026 | 6:54 AM | 5:29 PM | 10 hr 35 min |
| December 2026 | 7:18 AM | 5:26 PM | 10 hr 9 min |
| January 2027 | 7:26 AM | 5:46 PM | 10 hr 21 min |
| February 2027 | 7:09 AM | 6:14 PM | 11 hr 5 min |
| March 2027 | 7:37 AM | 7:35 PM | 11 hr 57 min |
| April 2027 | 6:59 AM | 7:54 PM | 12 hr 55 min |
| May 2027 | 6:32 AM | 8:15 PM | 13 hr 43 min |
| June 2027 | 6:23 AM | 8:32 PM | 14 hr 9 min |
| July 2027 | 6:33 AM | 8:32 PM | 13 hr 59 min |
| August 2027 | 6:53 AM | 8:11 PM | 13 hr 18 min |
| September 2027 | 7:11 AM | 7:34 PM | 12 hr 23 min |
The official sunset time is when the top of the sun sinks below a flat sea horizon. We also check Jekyll Island’s real horizon: the hills, headlands and islands you can see from the sand. When land is in the way, the sun disappears before the official time, and we show you that earlier time. The Sunset Score rates how colorful the sky should be from the cloud forecast at sunset. Buildings are not included, so a tall hotel beside you can still hide the last minute.
The sun sets at 6:42 PM at Jekyll Island today (Wednesday, October 28).
The sun rose at 7:39 AM at Jekyll Island today.
11 hr 3 min of daylight, from 7:39 AM to 6:42 PM.
Golden hour at Jekyll Island runs from 6:08 PM to sunset at 6:42 PM, when the sun is low and the light turns warm and soft. Blue hour follows, from 6:57 PM to 7:16 PM.
The sky stays light enough to see without a flashlight until about 7:06 PM, the end of civil twilight. It is fully dark by about 7:35 PM.
Tonight's Sunset Score is 7 out of 10, from the cloud forecast at sunset. Mostly clear (27% cloud): a good, dependable glow.
Jekyll Island faces east, so the sun sets behind the beach, over land. Tonight it goes down in the west-south-west.
No. Jekyll Island faces east, so the sun sets behind you, over land. The show over the water is the afterglow in the half hour after sunset.
Over the next year the earliest sunset at Jekyll Island is 5:25 PM on Thursday, December 3, and the latest is 8:35 PM on Wednesday, June 30.
Driftwood Beach is the favorite spot at Jekyll Island. Get there 30 to 45 minutes before sunset for a good place, and stay 20 minutes after for the afterglow.
Yes. The Jekyll Island live cam shows Jekyll Island in real time, linked from this page.
| St. Simons Island sunset | 6 mi | 6:42 PM |
|---|---|---|
| Amelia Island sunset | 31 mi | 6:43 PM |
| Neptune Beach sunset | 52 mi | 6:43 PM |
| Jacksonville Beach sunset | 54 mi | 6:43 PM |
| Ponte Vedra Beach sunset | 59 mi | 6:43 PM |
| Tybee Island sunset | 72 mi | 6:39 PM |
See every beach on one map: sunset times tonight across the US →