Athens is a city of about 25,044 people in Athens County, Ohio, at 219 m (719 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:44 AM and sets at 6:44 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:07 PM – 7:01 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 | 7:47 AM | 8:28 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 42m |
| February | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:33 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:41 AM | 8:16 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:52 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 20m |
| June | 6:02 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:30 PM | 14h 55m |
| July | 6:15 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 41m |
| August | 6:42 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:39 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 7:42 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 25m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Athens
At Athens the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Athens
71 photo locations lie within 80 km of Athens. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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State Parks
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Covered Bridges
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Athens is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is North Bend State Park, about 86 km (54 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Bend State Park | State Park | 86 km (54 mi) | 2 |
| North Bend Rail Trail | State Park | 97 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| West Union Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 115 km (71 mi) | 2 |
| Cedar Creek State Park | State Park | 118 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Walkersville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 151 km (94 mi) | 2 |
| Kanawha Falls | Waterfall | 152 km (94 mi) | 2 |
| Cathedral Falls | Waterfall | 153 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Chief Logan State Park | State Park | 160 km (99 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:35 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:44 AM – 6:04 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:41 AM – 5:11 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:57 PM – 3:57 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:49 PM – 2:29 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| August | 10:05 PM – 12:35 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 9:09 PM – 10:29 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 8:20 PM – 8:30 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (78%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.