Birmingham is a city of about 196,357 people in Jefferson County, Alabama, at 187 m (614 ft). Today the sun rises at 6:56 AM and sets at 6:09 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:35 PM – 6:24 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 | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:07 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:58 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:17 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:44 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:48 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 5:38 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 22m |
| July | 5:49 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:31 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:56 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:12 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 57m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Birmingham
At Birmingham 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 Birmingham
57 photo locations lie within 80 km of Birmingham. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Birmingham is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Binnsville, about 162 km (101 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binnsville | Ghost Town | 162 km (101 mi) | 2 |
| Prairie Bluff | Ghost Town | 164 km (102 mi) | 2 |
| Bridgeport Beach | Beach | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Noxubee Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 179 km (111 mi) | 2 |
| Rumley Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 180 km (112 mi) | 2 |
| Porterville Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 184 km (114 mi) | 2 |
| Lookout Hill Fire Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 199 km (124 mi) | 2 |
| Bangor Cave | Cave | 51 km (32 mi) | 3 |
| 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 | 1:35 AM – 4:45 AM | 3.2 | 28° |
| May | 11:37 PM – 4:07 AM | 4.5 | 28° |
| June | 9:42 PM – 3:52 AM | 6.2 | 28° |
| July | 9:38 PM – 2:28 AM | 4.8 | 28° |
| August | 9:05 PM – 12:25 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| September | 8:19 PM – 10:19 PM | 2.0 | 24° |
| October | 7:37 PM – 8:17 PM | 0.7 | 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.