Rochester is a city of about 112,225 people in Olmsted County, Minnesota, at 312 m (1,024 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:31 AM and sets at 6:19 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:40 PM – 6:37 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 | 7:42 AM | 8:28 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:27 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:41 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 7:06 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:39 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 55m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Rochester
At Rochester 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 23° in winter.
Best photo spots near Rochester
29 photo locations lie within 80 km of Rochester. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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State Parks
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State ParkLakes
Covered Bridges
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Rochester is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Big Lake, about 122 km (76 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lake | Lake | 122 km (76 mi) | 2 |
| Donnan | Ghost Town | 134 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Yellow River Fire Tower | Fire Lookout | 138 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Spook Cave | Cave | 144 km (90 mi) | 2 |
| Hamilton Falls | Waterfall | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 149 km (93 mi) | 2 |
| Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Wildcat Mountain State Park | State Park | 157 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:03 AM – 5:43 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 2:59 AM – 4:39 AM | 1.7 | 16° |
| May | 1:04 AM – 3:34 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| June | 11:20 PM – 3:00 AM | 3.7 | 17° |
| July | 11:06 PM – 1:36 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| August | 10:08 PM – 11:38 PM | 1.5 | 16° |
| September | 9:01 PM – 9:31 PM | 0.5 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July 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.