Sanford is a city of about 29,144 people in Lee County, North Carolina, at 109 m (358 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:28 AM and sets at 6:36 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:02 PM – 6:52 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 | 7:26 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 7:04 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 7:28 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:50 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:45 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 6:13 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 32m |
| July | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 6:37 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 7:00 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 47m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Sanford
At Sanford 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 Sanford
19 photo locations lie within 80 km of Sanford. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
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State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Sanford is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, about 90 km (56 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 90 km (56 mi) | 3 |
| Jones Lake State Park | State Park | 99 km (61 mi) | 3 |
| Singletary Lake State Park | State Park | 118 km (73 mi) | 3 |
| Lumber River State Park | State Park | 122 km (76 mi) | 3 |
| Cockers Falls | Waterfall | 124 km (77 mi) | 3 |
| Kerr Lake State Recreation Area | State Park | 130 km (81 mi) | 3 |
| Pine Bush Beach | Beach | 134 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Warren County Fire Tower | Fire Lookout | 138 km (86 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:05 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.5 | 15° |
| March | 4:10 AM – 6:00 AM | 1.8 | 22° |
| April | 2:10 AM – 5:10 AM | 3.0 | 25° |
| May | 12:15 AM – 4:25 AM | 4.2 | 26° |
| June | 10:23 PM – 4:13 AM | 5.8 | 26° |
| July | 10:18 PM – 2:48 AM | 4.5 | 26° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:41 AM | 3.0 | 25° |
| September | 8:52 PM – 10:42 PM | 1.8 | 22° |
| October | 8:08 PM – 8:38 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.