El Centro is a city of about 43,956 people in Imperial County, California. Today the sun rises at 6:51 AM and sets at 6:05 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:31 PM – 6:20 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 | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:23 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 14m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 7:00 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:53 PM | 11h 02m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:15 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 5:44 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 51m |
| June | 5:35 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 18m |
| July | 5:46 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:20 PM | 14h 06m |
| August | 6:07 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:55 PM | 13h 22m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:15 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:20 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:49 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:08 PM | 10h 29m |
| December | 6:38 AM | 7:16 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:06 PM | 10h 00m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in El Centro
At El Centro 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 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
Best photo spots near El Centro
15 photo locations lie within 80 km of El Centro. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
Lakes
Canyons
Mountain Peaks
National Wildlife Refuges
Ghost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central El Centro is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Faro del Machorro, about 161 km (100 mi) away (Bortle 1). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faro del Machorro | Lighthouse | 161 km (100 mi) | 1 |
| Indian Pass Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 80 km (50 mi) | 2 |
| Imperial National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 87 km (54 mi) | 2 |
| Trigo Mountains Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 98 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Cibola National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 99 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Needles Eye | Natural Arch | 108 km (67 mi) | 2 |
| Natural Arch | Natural Arch | 118 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Natural Arch | Natural Arch | 128 km (79 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:11 AM – 5:01 AM | 0.8 | 17° |
| March | 3:22 AM – 5:22 AM | 2.0 | 25° |
| April | 1:18 AM – 4:38 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| May | 11:19 PM – 3:59 AM | 4.7 | 28° |
| June | 9:34 PM – 3:44 AM | 6.2 | 28° |
| July | 9:30 PM – 2:20 AM | 4.8 | 28° |
| August | 8:58 PM – 12:18 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| September | 8:13 PM – 10:23 PM | 2.2 | 25° |
| October | 7:32 PM – 8:22 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 December as the cloudiest (40%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.