Kansas City is a city of about 152,933 people in Wyandotte County, Kansas, at 266 m (873 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:34 AM and sets at 6:34 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:58 PM – 6:51 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 | 7:37 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 6:06 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:53 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 6:05 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 7:01 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:29 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 7:03 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:31 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 26m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Kansas City
At Kansas City 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 Kansas City
20 photo locations lie within 80 km of Kansas City. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Natural Arches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Kansas City is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Big Lake State Park, about 124 km (77 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lake State Park | State Park | 124 km (77 mi) | 2 |
| Kings Grove | Ghost Town | 133 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 136 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Harry S Truman State Park | State Park | 139 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Pershing State Park | State Park | 141 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| Locust Creek Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 141 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 143 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Corbin | Ghost Town | 147 km (91 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:26 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:35 AM – 5:55 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:31 AM – 5:01 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:33 AM – 4:13 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:46 PM – 3:46 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:39 PM – 2:29 AM | 3.8 | 22° |
| August | 9:55 PM – 12:25 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 9:00 PM – 10:20 PM | 1.3 | 19° |
| October | 8:11 PM – 8:21 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.