Columbus is a city of about 913,175 people in Franklin County, Ohio, at 235 m (771 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:48 AM and sets at 6:47 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:10 PM – 7:04 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 | 7:53 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:01 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 7:26 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 7:45 AM | 8:20 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:55 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:38 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 6:18 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 6:04 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 6:16 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:32 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:43 AM | 8:20 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 7:47 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:39 PM | 9h 21m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Columbus
At Columbus the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Columbus
65 photo locations lie within 80 km of Columbus. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkBotanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeNatural Arches
Mountain Peaks
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Columbus is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is North Bend State Park, about 182 km (113 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 | 182 km (113 mi) | 2 |
| North Bend Rail Trail | State Park | 189 km (118 mi) | 2 |
| Conkle's Hollow State Nature Preserve | State Park | 67 km (42 mi) | 3 |
| Hagley Hollow Arch | Natural Arch | 67 km (42 mi) | 3 |
| Tar Hollow State Park | State Park | 70 km (43 mi) | 3 |
| Hocking Hills State Park | State Park | 71 km (44 mi) | 3 |
| Cedar Falls | Waterfall | 73 km (45 mi) | 3 |
| Ash Cave Fire Tower | Fire Lookout | 74 km (46 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:39 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 4:49 AM – 6:09 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:47 AM – 5:07 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| May | 12:51 AM – 4:21 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 11:06 PM – 3:56 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:58 PM – 2:28 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| August | 10:12 PM – 12:32 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 9:15 PM – 10:25 PM | 1.2 | 18° |
| October | 8:24 PM – 8:34 PM | 0.2 | 11° |
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.