Los Banos is a city of about 37,457 people in Merced County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:16 AM and sets at 6:21 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:46 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 | 7:16 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:39 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:37 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:30 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:56 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 5:44 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 42m |
| July | 5:56 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 28m |
| August | 6:21 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 36m |
| September | 6:46 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 38m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Los Banos
At Los Banos the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (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 30° in winter.
Best photo spots near Los Banos
28 photo locations lie within 80 km of Los Banos. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
State Parks
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State ParkBotanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Canyons
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Los Banos is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Tenaya Lake, about 150 km (93 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenaya Lake | Lake | 150 km (93 mi) | 2 |
| Tresidder Peak | Mountain Peak | 152 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Cathedral Peak | Mountain Peak | 155 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Budd Lake | Lake | 155 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Bernice Lake | Lake | 155 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Vogelsang Pass | Mountain Pass | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Waterwheel Falls | Waterfall | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| LeConte Falls | Waterfall | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:01 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.3 | 14° |
| March | 4:07 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 2:00 AM – 4:50 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| May | 12:08 AM – 4:08 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| June | 10:17 PM – 3:47 AM | 5.5 | 24° |
| July | 10:11 PM – 2:21 AM | 4.2 | 24° |
| August | 9:32 PM – 12:22 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| September | 8:40 PM – 10:20 PM | 1.7 | 21° |
| October | 7:54 PM – 8:24 PM | 0.5 | 14° |
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.