East Lansing is a city of about 48,471 people in Ingham County, Michigan, at 261 m (856 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:58 AM and sets at 6:49 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:10 PM – 7:07 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 | 8:06 AM | 8:50 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:01 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 7:36 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 7:51 AM | 8:28 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 6:16 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:26 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 6:00 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 19m |
| July | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:12 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:52 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 7:30 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 8:02 AM | 8:48 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 03m |
Local time in America/Detroit, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in East Lansing
At East Lansing the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (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 East Lansing
17 photo locations lie within 80 km of East Lansing. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central East Lansing is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Budd Lake, about 145 km (90 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budd Lake | Lake | 145 km (90 mi) | 2 |
| Gravelly Shoal Light | Lighthouse | 162 km (100 mi) | 2 |
| Sand Point Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 162 km (101 mi) | 2 |
| Au Gres Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 164 km (102 mi) | 2 |
| Caseville Harbor Light | Lighthouse | 166 km (103 mi) | 2 |
| Charity Island Light | Lighthouse | 167 km (104 mi) | 2 |
| Whitestone Point Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Sleeper State Park Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 171 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:19 AM – 6:09 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 3:22 AM – 5:12 AM | 1.8 | 18° |
| May | 1:23 AM – 4:13 AM | 2.8 | 18° |
| June | 11:35 PM – 3:35 AM | 4.0 | 18° |
| July | 11:24 PM – 2:14 AM | 2.8 | 18° |
| August | 10:30 PM – 12:20 AM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:16 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 49% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.