Gloucester is a city of about 29,781 people in Essex County, Massachusetts. Today the sun rises at 7:02 AM and sets at 5:54 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:15 PM – 6:12 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 | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:53 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:23 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:30 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:43 PM | 9h 04m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Gloucester
At Gloucester 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 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Gloucester
168 photo locations lie within 80 km of Gloucester. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
WaterfallWaterfallState Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseBeaches
Beach
Beach
Beach
Beach
Beach
BeachBotanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Gloucester is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Monhegan Island Light, about 168 km (105 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monhegan Island Light | Lighthouse | 168 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Matinicus Rock Light | Lighthouse | 196 km (122 mi) | 2 |
| Porter-Parsonfield Bridge | Covered Bridge | 133 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Ossipee Lake | Lake | 137 km (85 mi) | 3 |
| Great Falls | Waterfall | 138 km (86 mi) | 3 |
| Fuller Rock Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 141 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Seguin Light | Lighthouse | 142 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Seguin Island Light | Lighthouse | 142 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:16 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:27 AM – 3:17 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 10:38 PM – 2:48 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:27 PM – 1:27 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 9:34 PM – 11:24 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:31 PM – 9:21 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (70%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.