Chapel Hill is a city of about 59,568 people in Orange County, North Carolina, at 148 m (486 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:28 AM and sets at 6:35 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:01 PM – 6:51 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 | 7:27 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:54 PM | 9h 59m |
| February | 7:04 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:23 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 7:28 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:50 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 35m |
| July | 6:12 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 7:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:23 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:37 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 7:20 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 44m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Chapel Hill
At Chapel Hill 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 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
Best photo spots near Chapel Hill
17 photo locations lie within 80 km of Chapel Hill. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
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State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Chapel Hill is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, about 86 km (53 mi) away (Bortle 3). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerr Lake State Recreation Area | State Park | 86 km (53 mi) | 3 |
| Hyco Falls (historical) | Waterfall | 91 km (56 mi) | 3 |
| Occoneechee State Park | State Park | 93 km (58 mi) | 3 |
| Clarksville Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 93 km (58 mi) | 3 |
| Staunton River State Park | Dark Sky Place | 93 km (58 mi) | 3 |
| Staunton River State Park | State Park | 93 km (58 mi) | 3 |
| Eagle Point Falls (historical) | Waterfall | 94 km (59 mi) | 3 |
| Kerr Lake | Lake | 98 km (61 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:04 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.5 | 15° |
| March | 4:09 AM – 5:59 AM | 1.8 | 22° |
| April | 2:10 AM – 5:10 AM | 3.0 | 25° |
| May | 12:16 AM – 4:26 AM | 4.2 | 25° |
| June | 10:25 PM – 4:05 AM | 5.7 | 25° |
| July | 10:19 PM – 2:39 AM | 4.3 | 25° |
| August | 9:42 PM – 12:42 AM | 3.0 | 25° |
| September | 8:52 PM – 10:42 PM | 1.8 | 22° |
| October | 8:07 PM – 8:37 PM | 0.5 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (58%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.