Indianapolis is a city of about 887,642 people in Marion County, Indiana, at 218 m (715 ft). Today the sun rises at 8:01 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 | 8:05 AM | 8:46 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:14 PM | 9h 40m |
| February | 7:38 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:49 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:57 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:19 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 6:31 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 22m |
| June | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:48 PM | 14h 58m |
| July | 6:30 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:44 PM | 14h 43m |
| August | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:12 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 7:26 AM | 8:02 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:55 AM | 8:32 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 7:30 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 00m |
| December | 8:00 AM | 8:42 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 22m |
Local time in America/Indiana/Indianapolis, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Indianapolis
At Indianapolis 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 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Indianapolis
48 photo locations lie within 80 km of Indianapolis. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
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State Park
State ParkLakes
Beaches
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
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Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Indianapolis is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Cataract Falls, about 67 km (42 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract Falls | Waterfall | 67 km (42 mi) | 3 |
| Cataract Falls Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 67 km (42 mi) | 3 |
| Hulman Beach | Beach | 75 km (47 mi) | 3 |
| Groundhog Falls | Waterfall | 75 km (47 mi) | 3 |
| Hargrave Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 75 km (47 mi) | 3 |
| Hollandsburg Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 77 km (48 mi) | 3 |
| Deer's Mill Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 79 km (49 mi) | 3 |
| Big Rocky Fork Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 80 km (50 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:52 AM – 6:02 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 5:02 AM – 6:22 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:59 AM – 5:29 AM | 2.5 | 21° |
| May | 1:03 AM – 4:33 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 11:17 PM – 4:07 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 11:09 PM – 2:49 AM | 3.7 | 21° |
| August | 10:24 PM – 12:44 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 9:27 PM – 10:47 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 8:37 PM – 8:47 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.