West Palm Beach is a city of about 120,932 people in Palm Beach County, Florida. Today the sun rises at 7:23 AM and sets at 6:48 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:17 PM – 7:03 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 | 7:11 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 38m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 16m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 47m |
| May | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 27m |
| June | 6:27 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 49m |
| July | 6:37 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 40m |
| August | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:27 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 06m |
| September | 7:07 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:20 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 33m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 50m |
| December | 7:02 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 28m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in West Palm Beach
At West Palm Beach 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 87° in summer but only 40° in winter.
Best photo spots near West Palm Beach
24 photo locations lie within 80 km of West Palm Beach. 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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LighthouseLighthouse
LighthouseBeaches
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central West Palm Beach is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lake Okeechobee, about 79 km (49 mi) away (Bortle 3). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Okeechobee | Lake | 79 km (49 mi) | 3 |
| Big Bear Beach | Beach | 103 km (64 mi) | 3 |
| Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area | National Wildlife Refuge | 136 km (85 mi) | 3 |
| Lake Istokpoga | Lake | 142 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park | Dark Sky Place | 143 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park | State Park | 143 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 145 km (90 mi) | 3 |
| Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 146 km (91 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:31 AM – 5:31 AM | 1.0 | 21° |
| March | 3:36 AM – 6:06 AM | 2.5 | 31° |
| April | 1:35 AM – 5:35 AM | 4.0 | 34° |
| May | 11:37 PM – 4:57 AM | 5.3 | 34° |
| June | 9:47 PM – 4:47 AM | 7.0 | 34° |
| July | 9:46 PM – 3:26 AM | 5.7 | 34° |
| August | 9:21 PM – 1:21 AM | 4.0 | 34° |
| September | 8:44 PM – 11:24 PM | 2.7 | 31° |
| October | 8:10 PM – 9:20 PM | 1.2 | 22° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (64%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.