Grand Island is a city of about 20,813 people in Erie County, New York, at 178 m (584 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:36 AM and sets at 6:27 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:48 PM – 6:44 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 | 8:29 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 7:15 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 7:29 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:35 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:53 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 5:37 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:51 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 03m |
| August | 6:22 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:30 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:03 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 7:41 AM | 8:27 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 01m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Grand Island
At Grand Island the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Grand Island
45 photo locations lie within 80 km of Grand Island. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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Canyons
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Grand Island is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lake Ontario, about 104 km (64 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ontario | Lake | 104 km (64 mi) | 2 |
| Denton Hill State Park | State Park | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Sizerville State Park | State Park | 172 km (107 mi) | 2 |
| Patterson State Park | State Park | 173 km (107 mi) | 2 |
| Lyman Run State Park | State Park | 175 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Prouty Place State Park | State Park | 176 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Cherry Springs State Park | Dark Sky Place | 179 km (111 mi) | 2 |
| Cherry Springs State Park | State Park | 179 km (111 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:57 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.8 | 14° |
| April | 3:01 AM – 4:41 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 1:03 AM – 3:43 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| June | 11:15 PM – 3:15 AM | 4.0 | 18° |
| July | 11:04 PM – 1:54 AM | 2.8 | 18° |
| August | 10:09 PM – 11:49 PM | 1.7 | 17° |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:55 PM | 0.8 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 66% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (83%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.