Wilmington is a city of about 70,898 people in New Castle County, Delaware. Today the sun rises at 7:18 AM and sets at 6:17 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:40 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 | 7:22 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 40m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 22m |
| June | 5:34 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 58m |
| July | 5:47 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 43m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 00m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 22m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Wilmington
At Wilmington the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (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 Wilmington
170 photo locations lie within 80 km of Wilmington. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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BeachBeachBeachBeachBeachBeachNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Wilmington is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Holts Landing State Park, 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 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 | 134 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Dimmsville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 166 km (103 mi) | 3 |
| Clay Island Light | Lighthouse | 172 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Assateague State Park | State Park | 172 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Great Shoals Light | Lighthouse | 173 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Adairs Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 173 km (108 mi) | 3 |
| Kochendefer Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 174 km (108 mi) | 3 |
| Saville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 175 km (109 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 4:19 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:46 AM | 2.5 | 21° |
| May | 12:20 AM – 3:50 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 10:34 PM – 3:24 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:26 PM – 2:06 AM | 3.7 | 21° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:01 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 8:44 PM – 10:04 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.