Buckeye is a city of about 50,876 people in Maricopa County, Arizona, at 265 m (869 ft). Today the sun rises at 6:39 AM and sets at 5:52 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:18 PM – 6:08 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 | 7:35 AM | 8:12 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 7:15 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:39 PM | 7:03 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:01 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:27 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:11 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:28 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:44 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:03 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:09 AM | 5:25 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:23 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 7:03 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 57m |
Local time in America/Phoenix, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Buckeye
At Buckeye 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 Buckeye
48 photo locations lie within 80 km of Buckeye. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Natural Arches
Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchMountain Peaks
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Buckeye is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Natural Arch, about 96 km (60 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Arch | Natural Arch | 96 km (60 mi) | 2 |
| New Hope | Natural Arch | 99 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Natural Arch | Natural Arch | 99 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Royal Arch | Natural Arch | 100 km (62 mi) | 2 |
| Conflagration Arch | Natural Arch | 100 km (62 mi) | 2 |
| Aguila Arch | Natural Arch | 108 km (67 mi) | 2 |
| Owl Head | Natural Arch | 124 km (77 mi) | 2 |
| The Eagles Eye | Natural Arch | 125 km (78 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:59 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.8 | 17° |
| March | 3:11 AM – 5:11 AM | 2.0 | 24° |
| April | 1:08 AM – 4:28 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| May | 11:09 PM – 3:49 AM | 4.7 | 28° |
| June | 9:24 PM – 3:34 AM | 6.2 | 28° |
| July | 9:20 PM – 2:10 AM | 4.8 | 28° |
| August | 8:47 PM – 12:07 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| September | 8:01 PM – 10:01 PM | 2.0 | 25° |
| October | 7:20 PM – 8:10 PM | 0.8 | 17° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 18% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (43%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.