Cranston is a city of about 81,073 people in Providence County, Rhode Island. Today the sun rises at 7:04 AM and sets at 5:58 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:20 PM – 6:16 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 | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:55 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:27 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:25 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:48 PM | 9h 10m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Cranston
At Cranston the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
Best photo spots near Cranston
274 photo locations lie within 80 km of Cranston. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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BeachBeachNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Cranston is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Great Point Light, about 123 km (77 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Point Light | Lighthouse | 123 km (77 mi) | 3 |
| Sankaty Head Light | Lighthouse | 134 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Townshend State Park | State Park | 174 km (108 mi) | 3 |
| Scott Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 175 km (109 mi) | 3 |
| Mount Snow | Mountain Peak | 179 km (111 mi) | 3 |
| Overlook Trail | Scenic Viewpoint | 184 km (114 mi) | 3 |
| Jamaica State Park | State Park | 184 km (114 mi) | 3 |
| Hamilton Falls | Waterfall | 186 km (116 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:16 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:17 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:25 AM – 3:25 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| June | 10:34 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:24 PM – 1:34 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:34 PM – 11:34 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:32 PM – 9:32 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (69%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.