Tampa is a city of about 414,547 people in Hillsborough County, Florida. Today the sun rises at 7:34 AM and sets at 6:57 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:25 PM – 7:11 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 | 7:23 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:22 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 34m |
| February | 7:08 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 13m |
| March | 7:40 AM | 8:11 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 7:06 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:24 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:19 PM | 12h 50m |
| May | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:38 PM | 13h 32m |
| June | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 54m |
| July | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 45m |
| August | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 09m |
| September | 7:16 AM | 7:47 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:31 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 31m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 46m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 23m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Tampa
At Tampa 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 Tampa
57 photo locations lie within 80 km of Tampa. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseLighthouseBeaches
BeachBeachBeachBeachBeachBeachBotanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNational Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife RefugeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Tampa is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, about 165 km (102 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 | 165 km (102 mi) | 2 |
| Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 128 km (80 mi) | 3 |
| Lake Istokpoga | Lake | 133 km (82 mi) | 3 |
| Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park | Dark Sky Place | 140 km (87 mi) | 3 |
| Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park | State Park | 140 km (87 mi) | 3 |
| Seahorse Key Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 141 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Cedar Key Light | Lighthouse | 141 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 143 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:40 AM – 5:40 AM | 1.0 | 20° |
| March | 3:47 AM – 6:17 AM | 2.5 | 30° |
| April | 1:47 AM – 5:37 AM | 3.8 | 33° |
| May | 11:51 PM – 5:11 AM | 5.3 | 33° |
| June | 10:02 PM – 4:52 AM | 6.8 | 33° |
| July | 10:00 PM – 3:30 AM | 5.5 | 33° |
| August | 9:34 PM – 1:34 AM | 4.0 | 33° |
| September | 8:55 PM – 11:25 PM | 2.5 | 30° |
| October | 8:20 PM – 9:30 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.