Hoover is a city of about 84,848 people in Jefferson County, Alabama, at 176 m (577 ft). Today the sun rises at 6:56 AM and sets at 6:09 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:35 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 | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:06 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 | 6:18 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:44 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:48 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 5:38 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 5:49 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:31 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:23 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 23m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:55 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:12 PM | 10h 27m |
| 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 Hoover
At Hoover 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 Hoover
57 photo locations lie within 80 km of Hoover. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFire Lookouts
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Hoover is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Prairie Bluff, about 152 km (94 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 | 152 km (94 mi) | 2 |
| Binnsville | Ghost Town | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Bridgeport Beach | Beach | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Rumley Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 172 km (107 mi) | 2 |
| Noxubee Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 175 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Porterville Lookout Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 177 km (110 mi) | 2 |
| Lookout Hill Fire Tower | Scenic Viewpoint | 187 km (116 mi) | 2 |
| Failetown | Ghost Town | 199 km (124 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 | 1:35 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.