Alabaster is a city of about 32,707 people in Shelby County, Alabama, at 153 m (502 ft). Today the sun rises at 6:56 AM and sets at 6:09 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:36 PM – 6:25 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:51 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 12m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:06 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:58 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:18 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:43 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:48 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 5:38 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 20m |
| July | 5:50 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:32 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:55 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 58m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Alabaster
At Alabaster the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
Best photo spots near Alabaster
46 photo locations lie within 80 km of Alabaster. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Covered Bridge
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Covered BridgeFire Lookouts
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Alabaster is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Prairie Bluff, about 135 km (84 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Bluff | Ghost Town | 135 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Bridgeport Beach | Beach | 139 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Binnsville | Ghost Town | 151 km (94 mi) | 2 |
| Rumley Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 161 km (100 mi) | 2 |
| Lookout Hill Fire Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Porterville Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 170 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Noxubee Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 172 km (107 mi) | 2 |
| Failetown | Ghost Town | 185 km (115 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:26 AM – 5:06 AM | 0.7 | 17° |
| March | 3:28 AM – 5:28 AM | 2.0 | 24° |
| April | 1:25 AM – 4:45 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| May | 11:36 PM – 4:06 AM | 4.5 | 28° |
| June | 9:41 PM – 3:51 AM | 6.2 | 28° |
| July | 9:37 PM – 2:27 AM | 4.8 | 28° |
| August | 9:04 PM – 12:24 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| September | 8:19 PM – 10:19 PM | 2.0 | 25° |
| October | 7:37 PM – 8:27 PM | 0.8 | 17° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.