Ceres is a city of about 47,963 people in Stanislaus County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:17 AM and sets at 6:21 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:45 PM – 6:37 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 | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 51m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:55 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 12m |
| June | 5:43 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 45m |
| July | 5:55 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 31m |
| August | 6:21 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 10m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 35m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Ceres
At Ceres the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
Best photo spots near Ceres
30 photo locations lie within 80 km of Ceres. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
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State ParkCovered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeNatural Arches
Canyons
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Ceres is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Tenaya Lake, about 134 km (84 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenaya Lake | Lake | 134 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Waterwheel Falls | Waterfall | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| LeConte Falls | Waterfall | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Le Conte Falls | Waterfall | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Tresidder Peak | Mountain Peak | 138 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| California Falls | Waterfall | 138 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Cathedral Peak | Mountain Peak | 139 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| White Cascade | Waterfall | 140 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:02 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 4:09 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 2:12 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| May | 12:11 AM – 4:01 AM | 3.8 | 24° |
| June | 10:21 PM – 3:41 AM | 5.3 | 24° |
| July | 10:15 PM – 2:15 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| August | 9:35 PM – 12:15 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| September | 8:42 PM – 10:12 PM | 1.5 | 20° |
| October | 7:55 PM – 8:15 PM | 0.3 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 11% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (59%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.