Portland is a city of about 66,881 people in Cumberland County, Maine. Today the sun rises at 7:02 AM and sets at 5:51 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:12 PM – 6:09 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 | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:41 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:00 AM | 5:44 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:56 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:18 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:28 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:48 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:19 PM | 4:06 PM | 4:38 PM | 8h 57m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Portland
At Portland the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
Best photo spots near Portland
94 photo locations lie within 80 km of Portland. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Portland is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is East Kennebago Mountain, about 165 km (103 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Kennebago Mountain | Mountain Peak | 165 km (103 mi) | 1 |
| Mount Bigelow | Mountain Peak | 166 km (103 mi) | 1 |
| Big Falls | Waterfall | 166 km (103 mi) | 1 |
| Flagstaff | Ghost Town | 167 km (104 mi) | 1 |
| Garfield Falls | Waterfall | 168 km (104 mi) | 1 |
| Great Duck Island Light | Lighthouse | 170 km (106 mi) | 1 |
| Mount Desert Light | Lighthouse | 174 km (108 mi) | 1 |
| Long Falls | Waterfall | 175 km (109 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:33 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 2:29 AM – 4:09 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:03 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| June | 10:48 PM – 2:28 AM | 3.7 | 17° |
| July | 10:35 PM – 1:15 AM | 2.7 | 17° |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:08 PM | 1.5 | 17° |
| September | 8:32 PM – 9:12 PM | 0.7 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (66%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.