Bloomington is a city of about 84,067 people in Monroe County, Indiana, at 235 m (771 ft). Today the sun rises at 8:01 AM and sets at 7:02 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:25 PM – 7:18 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 | 8:05 AM | 8:45 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:17 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 7:39 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:58 AM | 8:34 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:20 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 6:20 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:47 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 6:33 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:44 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 7:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:12 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:56 AM | 8:33 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 7:30 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:59 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 26m |
Local time in America/Indiana/Indianapolis, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Bloomington
At Bloomington the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Bloomington
54 photo locations lie within 80 km of Bloomington. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Beaches
Botanical Gardens
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Bloomington is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Freedom Covered Bridge, about 30 km (18 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 30 km (18 mi) | 3 |
| Cataract Falls Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 39 km (24 mi) | 3 |
| Cataract Falls | Waterfall | 39 km (24 mi) | 3 |
| Richland-Plummer Creek Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 40 km (25 mi) | 3 |
| Williams Bridge | Covered Bridge | 43 km (27 mi) | 3 |
| Knobs Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 44 km (27 mi) | 3 |
| Hulman Beach | Beach | 50 km (31 mi) | 3 |
| Medora Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 51 km (31 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:53 AM – 6:03 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 5:02 AM – 6:22 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:59 AM – 5:29 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 1:01 AM – 4:41 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 11:15 PM – 4:15 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 11:07 PM – 2:47 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| August | 10:23 PM – 12:53 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 9:27 PM – 10:47 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 8:38 PM – 8:48 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.