Philadelphia is a city of about 1,573,916 people in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Today the sun rises at 7:17 AM and sets at 6:15 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:38 PM – 6:32 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 | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:24 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:46 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 59m |
| July | 5:45 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:08 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 Philadelphia
At Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia
153 photo locations lie within 80 km of Philadelphia. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Philadelphia is estimated at Bortle 9 (inner-city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Holts Landing State Park, about 152 km (94 mi) away (Bortle 3). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holts Landing State Park | State Park | 152 km (94 mi) | 3 |
| Dimmsville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 183 km (113 mi) | 3 |
| Dreese's Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 191 km (119 mi) | 3 |
| Assateague State Park | State Park | 192 km (119 mi) | 3 |
| Gross Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 195 km (121 mi) | 3 |
| Kochendefer Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 196 km (122 mi) | 3 |
| Adairs Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 197 km (123 mi) | 3 |
| Saville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 197 km (123 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:08 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 4:18 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:36 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| May | 12:20 AM – 3:50 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 10:35 PM – 3:25 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:27 PM – 1:57 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:01 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:54 PM | 1.2 | 18° |
| October | 7:53 PM – 8:03 PM | 0.2 | 11° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (63%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.