Poughkeepsie is a city of about 30,371 people in Dutchess County, New York, at 62 m (203 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:14 AM and sets at 6:08 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:30 PM – 6:26 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 | 7:21 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:37 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 11m |
| July | 5:35 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 10m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Poughkeepsie
At Poughkeepsie the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
Best photo spots near Poughkeepsie
198 photo locations lie within 80 km of Poughkeepsie. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
WaterfallWaterfallState Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseLighthouse
LighthouseBotanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Poughkeepsie is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Oxbow Lake, about 199 km (124 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxbow Lake | Lake | 199 km (124 mi) | 2 |
| Buttermilk Falls | Waterfall | 124 km (77 mi) | 3 |
| Leatherstocking Falls | Waterfall | 141 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Judds Falls | Waterfall | 142 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Otsego Lake | Lake | 142 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Canajoharie Falls | Waterfall | 143 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Hyde Hall Bridge | Covered Bridge | 144 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Glimmerglass State Park | State Park | 144 km (90 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:26 AM – 5:26 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:27 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:35 AM – 3:35 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| June | 10:44 PM – 3:04 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:34 PM – 1:44 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:44 PM – 11:44 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:42 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (65%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.