Bay City is a city of about 33,917 people in Bay County, Michigan, at 182 m (597 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:56 AM and sets at 6:46 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:06 PM – 7:04 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 | 8:07 AM | 8:51 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 7:35 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:49 AM | 8:27 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:10 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 5:54 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:55 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 6:09 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:50 AM | 8:29 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 7:30 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 8:03 AM | 8:50 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:33 PM | 8h 58m |
Local time in America/Detroit, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Bay City
At Bay City 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 Bay City
21 photo locations lie within 80 km of Bay City. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
Lakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseBotanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Bay City is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Harrisville State Park, about 126 km (79 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisville State Park | State Park | 126 km (79 mi) | 1 |
| Sturgeon Point Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 133 km (82 mi) | 1 |
| Sturgeon Point Light | Lighthouse | 133 km (83 mi) | 1 |
| Hubbard Lake | Lake | 137 km (85 mi) | 1 |
| Black River Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 142 km (88 mi) | 1 |
| Hartwick Pines State Park | State Park | 142 km (89 mi) | 1 |
| Lake Huron | Lake | 143 km (89 mi) | 1 |
| Negwegon Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 146 km (91 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:28 AM – 6:08 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 3:23 AM – 5:03 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 1:26 AM – 4:06 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| June | 11:40 PM – 3:30 AM | 3.8 | 18° |
| July | 11:28 PM – 2:08 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| August | 10:32 PM – 12:12 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:06 PM | 0.7 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (79%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.