Gainesville is a city of about 145,214 people in Alachua County, Florida, at 54 m (177 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:35 AM and sets at 6:55 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:22 PM – 7:10 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 | 7:26 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 27m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 09m |
| March | 7:40 AM | 8:12 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:24 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 53m |
| May | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 38m |
| June | 6:29 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:32 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 02m |
| July | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:32 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 52m |
| August | 6:58 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 13m |
| September | 7:15 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:31 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 29m |
| November | 6:55 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 40m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 15m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Gainesville
At Gainesville the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
Best photo spots near Gainesville
38 photo locations lie within 80 km of Gainesville. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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Botanical Gardens
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Gainesville is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, about 84 km (52 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 | 84 km (52 mi) | 2 |
| Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park | State Park | 94 km (59 mi) | 2 |
| Steinhatchee Falls | Waterfall | 99 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Lafayette Blue Springs State Park | State Park | 102 km (63 mi) | 2 |
| Suwannee River State Park | State Park | 114 km (71 mi) | 2 |
| Madison Blue Springs State Park | State Park | 128 km (79 mi) | 2 |
| Bonita Beach | Beach | 133 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Econfina River State Park | State Park | 159 km (99 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:49 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.8 | 18° |
| March | 3:57 AM – 6:17 AM | 2.3 | 28° |
| April | 1:59 AM – 5:29 AM | 3.5 | 31° |
| May | 11:56 PM – 5:06 AM | 5.2 | 31° |
| June | 10:08 PM – 4:48 AM | 6.7 | 31° |
| July | 10:05 PM – 3:25 AM | 5.3 | 31° |
| August | 9:37 PM – 1:17 AM | 3.7 | 31° |
| September | 8:56 PM – 11:16 PM | 2.3 | 28° |
| October | 8:19 PM – 9:19 PM | 1.0 | 20° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (60%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.