West Hartford is a city of about 63,268 people in Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut. Today the sun rises at 7:09 AM and sets at 6:03 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:25 PM – 6:21 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 | 7:17 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:12 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 10m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in West Hartford
At West Hartford the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
Best photo spots near West Hartford
245 photo locations lie within 80 km of West Hartford. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central West Hartford is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Mount Snow, about 134 km (83 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Snow | Mountain Peak | 134 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Townshend State Park | State Park | 142 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Scott Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 143 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Stratton Mountain | Mountain Peak | 148 km (92 mi) | 3 |
| Stratton Mountain Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 148 km (92 mi) | 3 |
| Chiselville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 149 km (93 mi) | 3 |
| Jamaica State Park | State Park | 149 km (93 mi) | 3 |
| Overlook Trail | Scenic Viewpoint | 149 km (93 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:21 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:22 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:30 AM – 3:30 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| June | 10:39 PM – 2:59 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:29 PM – 1:39 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:39 PM – 11:39 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:37 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 49% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.