New Bedford is a city of about 101,079 people in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Today the sun rises at 7:02 AM and sets at 5:56 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:18 PM – 6:14 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 | 7:09 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:04 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:53 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 11m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 54m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:23 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:15 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:49 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 11m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in New Bedford
At New Bedford the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
Best photo spots near New Bedford
212 photo locations lie within 80 km of New Bedford. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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BeachNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central New Bedford is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Great Point Light, about 78 km (49 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Point Light | Lighthouse | 78 km (49 mi) | 3 |
| Sankaty Head Light | Lighthouse | 89 km (55 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:14 AM – 5:14 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:23 AM – 3:23 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| June | 10:32 PM – 2:52 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:22 PM – 1:32 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:32 PM – 11:32 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (69%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.