Knoxville is a city of about 190,740 people in Knox County, Tennessee, at 276 m (906 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:47 AM and sets at 6:55 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:20 PM – 7:11 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 | 7:46 AM | 8:25 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:13 PM | 9h 59m |
| February | 7:24 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:44 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 7:47 AM | 8:21 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:09 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 7:03 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 6:31 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 35m |
| July | 6:31 AM | 7:08 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 6:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 7:19 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:43 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 7:40 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 44m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Knoxville
At Knoxville 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 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 31° in winter.
Best photo spots near Knoxville
94 photo locations lie within 80 km of Knoxville. 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 Knoxville is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bear Creek Overlook, about 92 km (57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 92 km (57 mi) | 2 |
| Natural Bridge | Natural Arch | 95 km (59 mi) | 2 |
| Northrup Falls | Waterfall | 96 km (60 mi) | 2 |
| Twin Arches | Natural Arch | 97 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Magendanz Falls | Waterfall | 98 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Pickett State Park Fire Tower | Fire Lookout | 102 km (63 mi) | 2 |
| Pickett Civilian Conservation Corps Memorial State Park | Dark Sky Place | 102 km (64 mi) | 2 |
| Pickett Civilian Conservation Corps Memorial State Park | State Park | 102 km (64 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:24 AM – 5:54 AM | 0.5 | 15° |
| March | 4:29 AM – 6:19 AM | 1.8 | 22° |
| April | 2:30 AM – 5:30 AM | 3.0 | 25° |
| May | 12:36 AM – 4:46 AM | 4.2 | 25° |
| June | 10:45 PM – 4:25 AM | 5.7 | 25° |
| July | 10:39 PM – 2:59 AM | 4.3 | 25° |
| August | 10:02 PM – 1:02 AM | 3.0 | 25° |
| September | 9:12 PM – 11:02 PM | 1.8 | 22° |
| October | 8:27 PM – 8:57 PM | 0.5 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.