Owensboro is a city of about 59,042 people in Daviess County, Kentucky, at 120 m (394 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:02 AM and sets at 6:06 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:30 PM – 6:22 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 | 7:03 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 50m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:16 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 12m |
| June | 5:27 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 46m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 32m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:31 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 7:08 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:06 PM | 10h 09m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 34m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Owensboro
At Owensboro 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
Best photo spots near Owensboro
11 photo locations lie within 80 km of Owensboro. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
State Parks
Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeNatural Arches
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Owensboro is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Cave-in-Rock State Park, about 98 km (61 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 8.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cave-in-Rock State Park | Cave | 98 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Peters Creek Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 103 km (64 mi) | 2 |
| Lusk Creek Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 128 km (79 mi) | 2 |
| Lusk Creek Canyon | Canyon | 129 km (80 mi) | 2 |
| Raum Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 129 km (80 mi) | 2 |
| Bell Smith Natural Bridge | Natural Arch | 139 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Shawnee National Forest | National Forest | 140 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| Dixon Springs State Park | State Park | 144 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:46 AM – 5:06 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 3:53 AM – 5:23 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 1:57 AM – 4:37 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| May | 11:56 PM – 3:46 AM | 3.8 | 23° |
| June | 10:07 PM – 3:27 AM | 5.3 | 23° |
| July | 10:01 PM – 2:01 AM | 4.0 | 23° |
| August | 9:20 PM – 12:00 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| September | 8:27 PM – 9:57 PM | 1.5 | 20° |
| October | 7:39 PM – 7:59 PM | 0.3 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (69%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.