North Charleston is a city of about 108,304 people in Charleston County, South Carolina. Today the sun rises at 7:28 AM and sets at 6:42 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:09 PM – 6:58 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 | 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 13m |
| February | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 02m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:16 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 51m |
| June | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 18m |
| July | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 07m |
| August | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 7:04 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:13 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 29m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 00m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in North Charleston
At North Charleston 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 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
Best photo spots near North Charleston
29 photo locations lie within 80 km of North Charleston. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
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State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
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LighthouseBotanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNational Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife RefugeGhost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central North Charleston is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Old Cape Romain Lighthouse, about 59 km (37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Cape Romain Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 59 km (37 mi) | 2 |
| Cape Romain Lighthouses | Lighthouse | 59 km (37 mi) | 2 |
| Georgetown Light | Lighthouse | 84 km (52 mi) | 2 |
| Rivers Bridge State Park | State Park | 107 km (66 mi) | 2 |
| Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 191 km (119 mi) | 2 |
| Bulls Bay Light | Lighthouse | 39 km (24 mi) | 3 |
| Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 41 km (26 mi) | 3 |
| Givhans Ferry State Park | State Park | 42 km (26 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:49 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.8 | 17° |
| March | 4:00 AM – 6:00 AM | 2.0 | 25° |
| April | 1:56 AM – 5:16 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| May | 11:57 PM – 4:37 AM | 4.7 | 28° |
| June | 10:12 PM – 4:22 AM | 6.2 | 28° |
| July | 10:08 PM – 2:58 AM | 4.8 | 28° |
| August | 9:36 PM – 12:56 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| September | 8:51 PM – 11:01 PM | 2.2 | 25° |
| October | 8:10 PM – 9:00 PM | 0.8 | 17° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (70%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.