Owatonna is a city of about 25,725 people in Steele County, Minnesota, at 351 m (1,152 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:34 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 | 7:45 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 7:13 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:26 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:30 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:44 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:53 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:31 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:42 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 54m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Owatonna
At Owatonna 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 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
Best photo spots near Owatonna
16 photo locations lie within 80 km of Owatonna. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Owatonna is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, about 114 km (71 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 | 114 km (71 mi) | 2 |
| Sexton | Ghost Town | 131 km (82 mi) | 2 |
| Kilen Woods State Park | State Park | 152 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Donnan | Ghost Town | 171 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Big Lake | Lake | 178 km (111 mi) | 2 |
| Yellow River Fire Tower | Fire Lookout | 190 km (118 mi) | 2 |
| Upper Sioux Agency State Park | State Park | 191 km (119 mi) | 2 |
| Spook Cave | Cave | 194 km (120 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:06 AM – 5:46 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 3:02 AM – 4:42 AM | 1.7 | 16° |
| May | 1:07 AM – 3:37 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| June | 11:23 PM – 3:03 AM | 3.7 | 17° |
| July | 11:09 PM – 1:39 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| August | 10:11 PM – 11:41 PM | 1.5 | 16° |
| September | 9:04 PM – 9:34 PM | 0.5 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (69%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.