Columbus is a city of about 46,690 people in Bartholomew County, Indiana, at 192 m (630 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:59 AM and sets at 6:59 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:23 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 | 8:02 AM | 8:43 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:14 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 7:36 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:56 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:18 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 7:07 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 6:31 AM | 7:10 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 6:18 AM | 6:58 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:45 PM | 14h 55m |
| July | 6:30 AM | 7:10 AM | 8:31 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:41 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 6:58 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:09 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 7:26 AM | 8:01 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:54 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 7:28 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:57 AM | 8:39 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 26m |
Local time in America/Indiana/Indianapolis, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Columbus
At Columbus the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (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 Columbus
62 photo locations lie within 80 km of Columbus. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Covered Bridges
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Covered BridgeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Columbus is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Knobs Overlook, about 43 km (26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knobs Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 43 km (26 mi) | 3 |
| Medora Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 47 km (29 mi) | 3 |
| Williams Bridge | Covered Bridge | 78 km (49 mi) | 3 |
| Cataract Falls Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 81 km (50 mi) | 3 |
| Cataract Falls | Waterfall | 81 km (50 mi) | 3 |
| Freedom Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 81 km (51 mi) | 3 |
| Richland-Plummer Creek Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 91 km (56 mi) | 3 |
| Hulman Beach | Beach | 93 km (58 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:51 AM – 6:01 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 5:00 AM – 6:20 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:57 AM – 5:27 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:59 AM – 4:39 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 11:13 PM – 4:13 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 11:05 PM – 2:45 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| August | 10:21 PM – 12:51 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 9:25 PM – 10:45 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 8:36 PM – 8:46 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 (74%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.