Princeton is a city of about 29,603 people in Mercer County, New Jersey, at 62 m (203 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:15 AM and sets at 6:13 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:36 PM – 6:30 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 | 7:20 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 37m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:43 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 25m |
| June | 5:29 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 02m |
| July | 5:42 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 47m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 58m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 19m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Princeton
At Princeton the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
Best photo spots near Princeton
176 photo locations lie within 80 km of Princeton. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Princeton is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Wenonan Falls, about 198 km (123 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wenonan Falls | Waterfall | 198 km (123 mi) | 3 |
| Holts Landing State Park | State Park | 200 km (124 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:16 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.0 | 11° |
| March | 4:27 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.2 | 17° |
| April | 2:25 AM – 4:35 AM | 2.2 | 20° |
| May | 12:20 AM – 3:50 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 10:35 PM – 3:25 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:27 PM – 1:57 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| August | 9:40 PM – 12:00 AM | 2.3 | 20° |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:52 PM | 1.2 | 17° |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.2 | 11° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.