Milpitas is a city of about 77,604 people in Santa Clara County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:21 AM and sets at 6:25 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:49 PM – 6:41 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 | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 52m |
| February | 6:58 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 50m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:59 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 11m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 44m |
| July | 5:59 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 30m |
| August | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:43 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:20 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 10m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 36m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Milpitas
At Milpitas the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (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 29° in winter.
Best photo spots near Milpitas
208 photo locations lie within 80 km of Milpitas. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallState Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lake
Lake
Lake
Lake
Lake
LakeLighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseBeaches
Beach
Beach
BeachBeach
Beach
BeachNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Milpitas is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Panoche Pass, about 119 km (74 mi) away (Bortle 3). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panoche Pass | Mountain Pass | 119 km (74 mi) | 3 |
| Point Sur State Historic Park | State Park | 125 km (78 mi) | 3 |
| Point Sur Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 125 km (78 mi) | 3 |
| Andrew Molera State Park | State Park | 127 km (79 mi) | 3 |
| Pine Falls | Waterfall | 128 km (79 mi) | 3 |
| Chews Ridge Lookout | Fire Lookout | 128 km (79 mi) | 3 |
| Pfeiffer Falls | Waterfall | 131 km (81 mi) | 3 |
| Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park | State Park | 132 km (82 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:06 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 4:13 AM – 5:43 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:56 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| May | 12:15 AM – 4:05 AM | 3.8 | 24° |
| June | 10:25 PM – 3:45 AM | 5.3 | 24° |
| July | 10:19 PM – 2:19 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| August | 9:39 PM – 12:19 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| September | 8:46 PM – 10:16 PM | 1.5 | 20° |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:19 PM | 0.3 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 12% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (54%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.