Paducah is a city of about 24,864 people in McCracken County, Kentucky, at 104 m (341 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:07 AM and sets at 6:12 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:37 PM – 6:29 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 | 7:08 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:47 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 5:35 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 42m |
| July | 5:47 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 28m |
| August | 6:12 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 36m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:14 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:42 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 38m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Paducah
At Paducah the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (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 Paducah
42 photo locations lie within 80 km of Paducah. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
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State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Natural Arches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Paducah is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Dixon Springs State Park, about 34 km (21 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dixon Springs State Park | State Park | 34 km (21 mi) | 2 |
| Raum Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 40 km (25 mi) | 2 |
| Cache River State Natural Area | State Park | 44 km (27 mi) | 2 |
| Shawnee National Forest | National Forest | 47 km (29 mi) | 2 |
| Bell Smith Natural Bridge | Natural Arch | 49 km (30 mi) | 2 |
| Lusk Creek Canyon | Canyon | 49 km (30 mi) | 2 |
| Norfolk | Ghost Town | 49 km (30 mi) | 2 |
| Lusk Creek Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 50 km (31 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:52 AM – 5:12 AM | 0.3 | 14° |
| March | 3:58 AM – 5:28 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 1:51 AM – 4:41 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| May | 11:59 PM – 3:59 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| June | 10:08 PM – 3:38 AM | 5.5 | 24° |
| July | 10:02 PM – 2:12 AM | 4.2 | 24° |
| August | 9:23 PM – 12:13 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| September | 8:31 PM – 10:11 PM | 1.7 | 21° |
| October | 7:45 PM – 8:15 PM | 0.5 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (67%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.