West Chester is a city of about 19,842 people in Chester County, Pennsylvania, at 140 m (459 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:19 AM and sets at 6:17 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:40 PM – 6:34 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 | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:34 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:47 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 21m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in West Chester
At West Chester 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 West Chester
192 photo locations lie within 80 km of West Chester. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central West Chester is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Dimmsville Covered Bridge, about 148 km (92 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimmsville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 148 km (92 mi) | 3 |
| Holts Landing State Park | State Park | 158 km (98 mi) | 3 |
| Dreese's Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 159 km (99 mi) | 3 |
| Kochendefer Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 160 km (99 mi) | 3 |
| Adairs Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 160 km (100 mi) | 3 |
| Saville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 161 km (100 mi) | 3 |
| Gross Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 162 km (100 mi) | 3 |
| Bistline Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 164 km (102 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 4:19 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:37 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| May | 12:21 AM – 3:51 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 10:36 PM – 3:26 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:28 PM – 1:58 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| August | 9:42 PM – 12:02 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 8:45 PM – 9:55 PM | 1.2 | 18° |
| October | 7:54 PM – 8:04 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.