Portsmouth is a city of about 20,409 people in Scioto County, Ohio, at 162 m (531 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:47 AM and sets at 6:48 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:12 PM – 7:05 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 | 7:49 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:04 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 7:24 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:37 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:44 AM | 8:19 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:56 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 6:07 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:19 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:31 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 6:20 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:09 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:42 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 7:15 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 7:44 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 28m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Portsmouth
At Portsmouth the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (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 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
Best photo spots near Portsmouth
45 photo locations lie within 80 km of Portsmouth. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
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State ParkCovered Bridges
Covered Bridge
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Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
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Covered BridgeCanyons
Mountain Peaks
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Portsmouth is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Chief Logan State Park, about 126 km (79 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Logan State Park | State Park | 126 km (79 mi) | 2 |
| Falls of Buffalo | Waterfall | 161 km (100 mi) | 2 |
| Carr Creek State Park | State Park | 167 km (104 mi) | 2 |
| Upper Squabble | Ghost Town | 167 km (104 mi) | 2 |
| Kanawha Falls | Waterfall | 168 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Cathedral Falls | Waterfall | 171 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Breaks Interstate Park | State Park | 171 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| State Line Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 171 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:39 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:48 AM – 6:08 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:44 AM – 5:14 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:45 AM – 4:25 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:57 PM – 4:07 AM | 5.2 | 22° |
| July | 10:50 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.8 | 22° |
| August | 10:07 PM – 12:37 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 9:12 PM – 10:32 PM | 1.3 | 19° |
| October | 8:23 PM – 8:43 PM | 0.3 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 49% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (74%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.