Lubbock is a city of about 249,042 people in Lubbock County, Texas, at 976 m (3,202 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:57 AM and sets at 7:09 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:35 PM – 7:24 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 | 7:52 AM | 8:29 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 7:33 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 7:59 AM | 8:32 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:20 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 7:18 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 6:48 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:09 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:29 PM | 14h 22m |
| July | 6:49 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:23 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 7:11 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:01 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 7:32 AM | 8:04 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:53 AM | 8:26 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 7:45 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:09 PM | 9h 56m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Lubbock
At Lubbock 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 Lubbock
8 photo locations lie within 80 km of Lubbock. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
Canyons
Ghost Towns
Rock Formations
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Lubbock is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Natural Bridge, about 120 km (75 mi) away (Bortle 1). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Bridge | Natural Arch | 120 km (75 mi) | 1 |
| Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway | State Park | 121 km (75 mi) | 1 |
| Double Mountain | Mountain Peak | 142 km (88 mi) | 1 |
| Salt Croton Falls | Waterfall | 142 km (88 mi) | 1 |
| Silver Falls | Waterfall | 65 km (40 mi) | 2 |
| Twenty Foot Falls | Waterfall | 65 km (41 mi) | 2 |
| Llano Estacado | Rock Formation | 66 km (41 mi) | 2 |
| Blanco Canyon | Canyon | 68 km (42 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:26 AM – 6:06 AM | 0.7 | 17° |
| March | 4:28 AM – 6:28 AM | 2.0 | 24° |
| April | 2:25 AM – 5:45 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| May | 12:37 AM – 5:07 AM | 4.5 | 28° |
| June | 10:42 PM – 4:52 AM | 6.2 | 28° |
| July | 10:38 PM – 3:28 AM | 4.8 | 28° |
| August | 10:05 PM – 1:25 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| September | 9:19 PM – 11:19 PM | 2.0 | 24° |
| October | 8:37 PM – 9:17 PM | 0.7 | 17° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (47%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.