San Antonio is a city of about 1,526,656 people in Bexar County, Texas, at 198 m (650 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:39 AM and sets at 7:00 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:27 PM – 7:14 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 | 7:30 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:23 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 28m |
| February | 7:14 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 10m |
| March | 7:45 AM | 8:16 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:07 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 7:08 AM | 7:40 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:25 PM | 12h 53m |
| May | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 37m |
| June | 6:35 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 01m |
| July | 6:45 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:03 PM | 13h 51m |
| August | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 13m |
| September | 7:20 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:05 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:36 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 29m |
| November | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 41m |
| December | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 16m |
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 San Antonio
At San Antonio the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
Best photo spots near San Antonio
28 photo locations lie within 80 km of San Antonio. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
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State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Ghost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central San Antonio is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Garner State Park, about 122 km (76 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garner State Park | State Park | 122 km (76 mi) | 2 |
| The Falls | Waterfall | 135 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Dabney | Ghost Town | 158 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Telegraph | Ghost Town | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| South Llano River State Park | Dark Sky Place | 170 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Spy Rock | Mountain Peak | 176 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Kickapoo Cavern State Park | Cave | 190 km (118 mi) | 2 |
| Skiles Falls | Waterfall | 68 km (42 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:54 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.8 | 19° |
| March | 4:02 AM – 6:22 AM | 2.3 | 28° |
| April | 2:04 AM – 5:44 AM | 3.7 | 32° |
| May | 12:00 AM – 5:10 AM | 5.2 | 32° |
| June | 10:12 PM – 4:52 AM | 6.7 | 32° |
| July | 10:09 PM – 3:29 AM | 5.3 | 32° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 1:31 AM | 3.8 | 32° |
| September | 9:01 PM – 11:21 PM | 2.3 | 29° |
| October | 8:24 PM – 9:24 PM | 1.0 | 20° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (61%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.