Sacramento is a city of about 524,943 people in Sacramento County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:21 AM and sets at 6:22 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:46 PM – 6:39 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 | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 46m |
| February | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 47m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:30 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:55 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 16m |
| June | 5:42 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 51m |
| July | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 36m |
| August | 6:21 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 29m |
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 Sacramento
At Sacramento 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
Best photo spots near Sacramento
41 photo locations lie within 80 km of Sacramento. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
WaterfallWaterfall
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallState Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Sacramento is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Caribou, about 169 km (105 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribou | Ghost Town | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Leavitt Falls | Waterfall | 171 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Indian Falls | Waterfall | 171 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Silver Falls | Waterfall | 172 km (107 mi) | 2 |
| Plumas National Forest | National Forest | 173 km (108 mi) | 2 |
| Cascade Falls | Waterfall | 174 km (108 mi) | 2 |
| Lower Deer Creek Falls | Waterfall | 177 km (110 mi) | 2 |
| Indian Valley Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 180 km (112 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:03 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 4:22 AM – 5:42 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:18 AM – 3:58 AM | 3.7 | 23° |
| June | 10:30 PM – 3:40 AM | 5.2 | 23° |
| July | 10:23 PM – 2:13 AM | 3.8 | 23° |
| August | 9:40 PM – 12:10 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 8:46 PM – 10:16 PM | 1.5 | 19° |
| October | 7:57 PM – 8:17 PM | 0.3 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 11% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (60%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.