Oakland is a city of about 419,267 people in Alameda County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:23 AM and sets at 6:26 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:50 PM – 6:42 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 | 7:24 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 50m |
| February | 7:00 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 6:00 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 13m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 46m |
| July | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 32m |
| August | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:18 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:33 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:20 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 09m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 34m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Oakland
At Oakland 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 Oakland
196 photo locations lie within 80 km of Oakland. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic Viewpoint
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
Waterfall
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallState 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
Beach
Beach
Beach
BeachNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Oakland is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Hitch'n Post, about 178 km (110 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hitch'n Post | Natural Arch | 178 km (110 mi) | 2 |
| Point Arena Arch | Natural Arch | 179 km (111 mi) | 2 |
| Manchester State Park | State Park | 181 km (112 mi) | 2 |
| Point Arena Light | Lighthouse | 181 km (112 mi) | 2 |
| Greenwood State Beach | State Park | 194 km (121 mi) | 2 |
| Devils Pitchfork | Natural Arch | 194 km (121 mi) | 2 |
| Wharf Rock East Arch | Natural Arch | 194 km (121 mi) | 2 |
| Wharf Rock West Arch | Natural Arch | 194 km (121 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 4:14 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:58 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| May | 12:17 AM – 4:07 AM | 3.8 | 23° |
| June | 10:28 PM – 3:48 AM | 5.3 | 23° |
| July | 10:21 PM – 2:21 AM | 4.0 | 23° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:21 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| September | 8:47 PM – 10:17 PM | 1.5 | 20° |
| October | 8:00 PM – 8:20 PM | 0.3 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (59%). September is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.