Salem is a city of about 42,869 people in Essex County, Massachusetts. Today the sun rises at 7:03 AM and sets at 5:55 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:16 PM – 6:13 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 | 3:52 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:03 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:55 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 17m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:54 PM | 15h 00m |
| August | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:18 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:44 PM | 9h 05m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Salem
At Salem 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° (WNW) 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 Salem
196 photo locations lie within 80 km of Salem. 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 Salem is estimated at Bortle 9 (inner-city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Monhegan Island Light, about 189 km (117 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 | 189 km (117 mi) | 2 |
| Porter-Parsonfield Bridge | Covered Bridge | 141 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Ossipee Lake | Lake | 143 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Great Point Light | Lighthouse | 144 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Squam Lake | Lake | 146 km (90 mi) | 3 |
| Newfound Lake | Lake | 146 km (91 mi) | 3 |
| Welton Falls | Waterfall | 148 km (92 mi) | 3 |
| Great Falls | Waterfall | 148 km (92 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:15 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:17 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:28 AM – 3:18 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 10:39 PM – 2:49 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:28 PM – 1:28 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 9:35 PM – 11:25 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:32 PM – 9:22 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.