Clearwater is a city of about 117,292 people in Pinellas County, Florida. Today the sun rises at 7:35 AM and sets at 6:58 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:26 PM – 7:13 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 | 7:59 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 34m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 13m |
| March | 7:42 AM | 8:13 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:04 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 7:07 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:25 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 50m |
| May | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 32m |
| June | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:56 PM | 13h 54m |
| July | 6:45 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:56 PM | 13h 45m |
| August | 7:02 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 09m |
| September | 7:17 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:01 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:32 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 31m |
| November | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 46m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 23m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Clearwater
At Clearwater the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 116° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 297° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 85° in summer but only 39° in winter.
Best photo spots near Clearwater
41 photo locations lie within 80 km of Clearwater. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
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State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
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LighthouseBeaches
BeachBeachBeachBeachBeachBeachBotanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
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Botanical GardenNational Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife RefugeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Clearwater is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, about 153 km (95 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 153 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Seahorse Key Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 128 km (80 mi) | 3 |
| Cedar Key Light | Lighthouse | 128 km (80 mi) | 3 |
| Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 130 km (81 mi) | 3 |
| Cedar Key Museum State Park | State Park | 134 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve | State Park | 138 km (86 mi) | 3 |
| Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park | State Park | 154 km (96 mi) | 3 |
| Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 159 km (99 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:41 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.0 | 20° |
| March | 3:48 AM – 6:18 AM | 2.5 | 30° |
| April | 1:48 AM – 5:38 AM | 3.8 | 33° |
| May | 11:52 PM – 5:12 AM | 5.3 | 33° |
| June | 10:03 PM – 4:53 AM | 6.8 | 33° |
| July | 10:01 PM – 3:31 AM | 5.5 | 33° |
| August | 9:35 PM – 1:35 AM | 4.0 | 33° |
| September | 8:56 PM – 11:26 PM | 2.5 | 30° |
| October | 8:21 PM – 9:31 PM | 1.2 | 21° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (67%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.