Carmel is a city of about 88,713 people in Hamilton County, Indiana, at 260 m (853 ft). Today the sun rises at 8:01 AM and sets at 6:59 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:22 PM – 7:16 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 | 8:47 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:14 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 7:38 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 7:57 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:19 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 6:30 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 6:16 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 6:29 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:45 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 6:57 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:12 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 7:26 AM | 8:02 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:55 AM | 8:32 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 7:30 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 8:00 AM | 8:43 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 21m |
Local time in America/Indiana/Indianapolis, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Carmel
At Carmel the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Carmel
33 photo locations lie within 80 km of Carmel. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
State ParkBotanical Gardens
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeGhost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Carmel is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Deer's Mill Covered Bridge, about 80 km (50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer's Mill Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 80 km (50 mi) | 3 |
| Hargrave Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 82 km (51 mi) | 3 |
| Shades State Park | State Park | 83 km (52 mi) | 3 |
| Hollandsburg Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 84 km (52 mi) | 3 |
| Portland Mills Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 84 km (52 mi) | 3 |
| Cataract Falls | Waterfall | 85 km (53 mi) | 3 |
| Cataract Falls Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 85 km (53 mi) | 3 |
| Groundhog Falls | Waterfall | 85 km (53 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:51 AM – 6:01 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 5:01 AM – 6:21 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:59 AM – 5:19 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| May | 1:03 AM – 4:33 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 11:18 PM – 4:08 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 11:10 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| August | 10:24 PM – 12:44 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 9:27 PM – 10:37 PM | 1.2 | 18° |
| October | 8:36 PM – 8:46 PM | 0.2 | 11° |
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.