Kinston is a city of about 21,337 people in Lenoir County, North Carolina. Today the sun rises at 7:21 AM and sets at 6:30 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:56 PM – 6:46 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 | 7:19 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 02m |
| February | 6:58 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 6:07 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 01m |
| June | 5:56 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 31m |
| July | 6:08 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 19m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 48m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Kinston
At Kinston 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 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
Best photo spots near Kinston
11 photo locations lie within 80 km of Kinston. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State ParkBeaches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Kinston is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Beach Access Ramp 48, about 182 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Access Ramp 48 | Beach | 182 km (113 mi) | 1 |
| Beach Access Ramp 44 | Beach | 186 km (116 mi) | 1 |
| Cape Hatteras Light Station | Lighthouse | 186 km (116 mi) | 1 |
| Cape Hatteras Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 186 km (116 mi) | 1 |
| Beach Access Ramp 43 | Beach | 187 km (116 mi) | 1 |
| Island View Shores | Beach | 82 km (51 mi) | 2 |
| Norflick Shore | Beach | 90 km (56 mi) | 2 |
| Bible Shore | Beach | 99 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:58 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.5 | 15° |
| March | 4:02 AM – 5:52 AM | 1.8 | 22° |
| April | 2:02 AM – 5:02 AM | 3.0 | 26° |
| May | 12:07 AM – 4:17 AM | 4.2 | 26° |
| June | 10:14 PM – 4:04 AM | 5.8 | 26° |
| July | 10:10 PM – 2:40 AM | 4.5 | 26° |
| August | 9:33 PM – 12:33 AM | 3.0 | 26° |
| September | 8:45 PM – 10:35 PM | 1.8 | 23° |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:41 PM | 0.7 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (56%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.