Michigan City is a city of about 31,459 people in LaPorte County, Indiana, at 191 m (627 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:06 AM and sets at 6:00 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:22 PM – 6:17 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 | 7:13 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:59 PM | 15h 11m |
| July | 5:27 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:29 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:50 PM | 9h 10m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Michigan City
At Michigan City the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
Best photo spots near Michigan City
47 photo locations lie within 80 km of Michigan City. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
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 Michigan City is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Chatterton, about 148 km (92 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatterton | Ghost Town | 148 km (92 mi) | 3 |
| Brisco | Ghost Town | 149 km (93 mi) | 3 |
| Coldwater Lake | Lake | 160 km (99 mi) | 3 |
| Sloan | Ghost Town | 164 km (102 mi) | 3 |
| Portland Arch | Natural Arch | 170 km (105 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 173 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Cades Mill Bridge | Covered Bridge | 186 km (116 mi) | 3 |
| Wallace Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 193 km (120 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:18 AM – 5:18 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:19 AM – 4:19 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:17 AM – 3:27 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| June | 10:36 PM – 2:56 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:26 PM – 1:36 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:36 PM – 11:36 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:34 PM – 9:34 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.