East Chattanooga is a city of about 154,024 people in Hamilton County, Tennessee, at 208 m (682 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:52 AM and sets at 7:01 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:27 PM – 7:17 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 | 7:49 AM | 8:27 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 03m |
| February | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 7:53 AM | 8:26 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 8:20 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 30m |
| July | 6:39 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:20 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 18m |
| August | 7:02 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 7:25 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:15 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:47 AM | 8:22 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 7:43 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:00 PM | 9h 49m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in East Chattanooga
At East Chattanooga the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
Best photo spots near East Chattanooga
215 photo locations lie within 80 km of East Chattanooga. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State ParkBotanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Natural Arches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central East Chattanooga is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Northrup Falls, about 148 km (92 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northrup Falls | Waterfall | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Lookout Point | Scenic Viewpoint | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Magendanz Falls | Waterfall | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park | State Park | 166 km (103 mi) | 2 |
| Pickett State Park Fire Tower | Fire Lookout | 168 km (104 mi) | 2 |
| Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park | State Park | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Pickett Civilian Conservation Corps Memorial State Park | Dark Sky Place | 170 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Pickett Civilian Conservation Corps Memorial State Park | State Park | 170 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:19 AM – 5:59 AM | 0.7 | 15° |
| March | 4:33 AM – 6:23 AM | 1.8 | 23° |
| April | 2:33 AM – 5:33 AM | 3.0 | 26° |
| May | 12:37 AM – 4:57 AM | 4.3 | 26° |
| June | 10:44 PM – 4:34 AM | 5.8 | 26° |
| July | 10:39 PM – 3:09 AM | 4.5 | 26° |
| August | 10:04 PM – 1:14 AM | 3.2 | 26° |
| September | 9:15 PM – 11:05 PM | 1.8 | 23° |
| October | 8:32 PM – 9:12 PM | 0.7 | 16° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.