Las Vegas is a city of about 641,903 people in Clark County, Nevada, at 610 m (2,001 ft). Today the sun rises at 6:53 AM and sets at 5:59 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:24 PM – 6:15 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 | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 58m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 53m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:41 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:35 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:09 PM | 14h 05m |
| June | 5:24 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 36m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 23m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 33m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:58 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:15 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:56 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:01 PM | 10h 16m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 43m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Las Vegas
At Las Vegas the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
Best photo spots near Las Vegas
52 photo locations lie within 80 km of Las Vegas. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
State Parks
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State Park
State ParkLakes
Beaches
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Las Vegas is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Pahute Mesa, about 183 km (113 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pahute Mesa | Rock Formation | 183 km (113 mi) | 1 |
| Cathedral Gorge State Park | State Park | 194 km (120 mi) | 1 |
| Devils Hole Cave | Cave | 107 km (67 mi) | 2 |
| Cima | Ghost Town | 109 km (68 mi) | 2 |
| Columbine Falls | Waterfall | 110 km (68 mi) | 2 |
| Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 111 km (69 mi) | 2 |
| Dumont Dunes | Sand Dunes | 112 km (69 mi) | 2 |
| Wahmonie | Ghost Town | 116 km (72 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:29 AM – 4:59 AM | 0.5 | 14° |
| March | 3:44 AM – 5:24 AM | 1.7 | 22° |
| April | 1:36 AM – 4:26 AM | 2.8 | 25° |
| May | 11:42 PM – 3:52 AM | 4.2 | 25° |
| June | 9:51 PM – 3:31 AM | 5.7 | 25° |
| July | 9:45 PM – 2:05 AM | 4.3 | 25° |
| August | 9:08 PM – 11:58 PM | 2.8 | 25° |
| September | 8:17 PM – 9:57 PM | 1.7 | 22° |
| October | 7:32 PM – 8:02 PM | 0.5 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (50%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.