Dover is a city of about 39,403 people in Kent County, Delaware. Today the sun rises at 7:17 AM and sets at 6:18 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:41 PM – 6:34 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 | 7:21 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:50 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 6:16 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:18 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 26m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Dover
At Dover 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 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Dover
128 photo locations lie within 80 km of Dover. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
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State ParkLighthouses
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LighthouseBeaches
BeachBeachBeachBeachBeachBeachBotanical Gardens
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Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
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Covered BridgeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Dover is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Holts Landing State Park, about 72 km (45 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holts Landing State Park | State Park | 72 km (45 mi) | 3 |
| Assateague State Park | State Park | 108 km (67 mi) | 3 |
| Great Shoals Light | Lighthouse | 109 km (68 mi) | 3 |
| Clay Island Light | Lighthouse | 110 km (68 mi) | 3 |
| Sharkfin Shoal Light | Lighthouse | 114 km (71 mi) | 3 |
| Solomons Lump Light | Lighthouse | 131 km (81 mi) | 3 |
| Holland Island Bar Light | Lighthouse | 131 km (81 mi) | 3 |
| Sound Shore | Beach | 133 km (82 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:18 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:15 AM – 4:45 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:17 AM – 3:57 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:31 PM – 3:31 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:23 PM – 2:03 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| August | 9:39 PM – 12:09 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 8:43 PM – 10:03 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 7:54 PM – 8:04 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (63%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.