Eugene is a city of about 176,654 people in Lane County, Oregon, at 131 m (430 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:34 AM and sets at 6:22 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:42 PM – 6:40 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 | 7:45 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 7:13 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:47 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:44 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:08 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:41 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 54m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Eugene
At Eugene the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
Best photo spots near Eugene
105 photo locations lie within 80 km of Eugene. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Covered BridgeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Eugene is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Timber Crater, about 139 km (86 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timber Crater | Volcano | 139 km (86 mi) | 1 |
| Diamond Crater | Volcano | 148 km (92 mi) | 1 |
| Plaikni Falls | Waterfall | 152 km (95 mi) | 1 |
| Mount Scott | Mountain Peak | 152 km (95 mi) | 1 |
| Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 170 km (106 mi) | 1 |
| Copper Salmon Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 172 km (107 mi) | 1 |
| Floras Lake | Lake | 172 km (107 mi) | 1 |
| Fort Rock Cave | Cave | 176 km (110 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:05 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 3:01 AM – 4:41 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 1:06 AM – 3:36 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| June | 11:22 PM – 3:02 AM | 3.7 | 17° |
| July | 11:08 PM – 1:38 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| August | 10:10 PM – 11:40 PM | 1.5 | 16° |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:33 PM | 0.5 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 34% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). August is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.