Ocala is a city of about 58,218 people in Marion County, Florida. Today the sun rises at 7:34 AM and sets at 6:54 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:22 PM – 7:09 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 | 5:18 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 29m |
| February | 7:09 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 10m |
| March | 7:39 AM | 8:11 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 52m |
| May | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 36m |
| June | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 00m |
| July | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 50m |
| August | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 12m |
| September | 7:14 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:35 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:30 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 29m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 42m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 17m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Ocala
At Ocala 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 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
Best photo spots near Ocala
49 photo locations lie within 80 km of Ocala. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
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Beaches
Botanical Gardens
Fire Lookouts
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Ocala is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, about 94 km (59 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 | 94 km (59 mi) | 2 |
| Steinhatchee Falls | Waterfall | 132 km (82 mi) | 2 |
| Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park | State Park | 142 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| Lafayette Blue Springs State Park | State Park | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Suwannee River State Park | State Park | 165 km (103 mi) | 2 |
| Bonita Beach | Beach | 168 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Madison Blue Springs State Park | State Park | 179 km (111 mi) | 2 |
| Econfina River State Park | State Park | 196 km (122 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:49 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.8 | 19° |
| March | 3:57 AM – 6:17 AM | 2.3 | 29° |
| April | 1:58 AM – 5:38 AM | 3.7 | 32° |
| May | 11:54 PM – 5:04 AM | 5.2 | 32° |
| June | 10:06 PM – 4:46 AM | 6.7 | 32° |
| July | 10:03 PM – 3:23 AM | 5.3 | 32° |
| August | 9:36 PM – 1:26 AM | 3.8 | 32° |
| September | 8:55 PM – 11:25 PM | 2.5 | 29° |
| 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.