Raytown is a city of about 29,401 people in Jackson County, Missouri, at 310 m (1,017 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:33 AM and sets at 6:34 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:57 PM – 6:50 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 | 7:36 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 44m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:30 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:52 AM | 6:32 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 53m |
| July | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 04m |
| December | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 27m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Raytown
At Raytown the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 28° in winter.
Best photo spots near Raytown
19 photo locations lie within 80 km of Raytown. 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
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Natural Arches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Raytown is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Harry S Truman State Park, about 121 km (75 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry S Truman State Park | State Park | 121 km (75 mi) | 2 |
| Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 129 km (80 mi) | 2 |
| Corbin | Ghost Town | 129 km (80 mi) | 2 |
| Pershing State Park | State Park | 136 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Locust Creek Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Big Lake State Park | State Park | 141 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| Haynie Branch Natural Bridges | Natural Arch | 142 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:54 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:30 AM – 5:00 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:32 AM – 4:12 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:45 PM – 3:45 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:38 PM – 2:28 AM | 3.8 | 22° |
| August | 9:54 PM – 12:24 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 8:59 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.3 | 19° |
| October | 8:10 PM – 8:20 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.