Austin is a city of about 24,563 people in Mower County, Minnesota, at 367 m (1,204 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:33 AM and sets at 6:22 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:42 PM – 6:40 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 | 7:43 AM | 8:28 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 7:12 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:25 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:45 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:27 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 7:07 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:39 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 57m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Austin
At Austin 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 Austin
16 photo locations lie within 80 km of Austin. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Covered Bridges
Ghost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Austin is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, about 101 km (63 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 101 km (63 mi) | 2 |
| Sexton | Ghost Town | 111 km (69 mi) | 2 |
| Donnan | Ghost Town | 123 km (77 mi) | 2 |
| Big Lake | Lake | 145 km (90 mi) | 2 |
| Yellow River Fire Tower | Fire Lookout | 151 km (94 mi) | 2 |
| Spook Cave | Cave | 152 km (94 mi) | 2 |
| Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 153 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Chicken Ridge Scenic Overlook Park | Scenic Viewpoint | 158 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:04 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 3:00 AM – 4:40 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 1:04 AM – 3:34 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| June | 11:19 PM – 2:59 AM | 3.7 | 17° |
| July | 11:06 PM – 1:46 AM | 2.7 | 17° |
| August | 10:09 PM – 11:39 PM | 1.5 | 16° |
| September | 9:02 PM – 9:42 PM | 0.7 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.