Aiken is a city of about 30,604 people in Aiken County, South Carolina, at 157 m (515 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:36 AM and sets at 6:49 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:15 PM – 7:04 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 | 7:32 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 7:38 AM | 8:11 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:25 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 6:27 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 6:17 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 22m |
| July | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 6:50 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:32 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:59 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 7:25 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 56m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Aiken
At Aiken the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
Best photo spots near Aiken
10 photo locations lie within 80 km of Aiken. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Mountain Peaks
Ghost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Aiken is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Rivers Bridge State Park, about 81 km (50 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers Bridge State Park | State Park | 81 km (50 mi) | 2 |
| Hamburg State Park | State Park | 106 km (66 mi) | 2 |
| Aiken State Park | State Park | 22 km (13 mi) | 3 |
| Savannah River Site Forest | National Forest | 22 km (14 mi) | 3 |
| Ellenton | Ghost Town | 40 km (25 mi) | 3 |
| Dunbarton | Ghost Town | 44 km (27 mi) | 3 |
| Celestia | Ghost Town | 54 km (34 mi) | 3 |
| Corinth | Ghost Town | 60 km (38 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:06 AM – 5:46 AM | 0.7 | 17° |
| March | 4:08 AM – 6:08 AM | 2.0 | 24° |
| April | 2:15 AM – 5:25 AM | 3.2 | 28° |
| May | 12:17 AM – 4:47 AM | 4.5 | 28° |
| June | 10:22 PM – 4:32 AM | 6.2 | 28° |
| July | 10:19 PM – 3:09 AM | 4.8 | 28° |
| August | 9:45 PM – 1:05 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| September | 8:59 PM – 10:59 PM | 2.0 | 24° |
| October | 8:17 PM – 9:07 PM | 0.8 | 17° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (55%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.