Mechanicsville is a city of about 36,348 people in Hanover County, Virginia, at 51 m (167 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:23 AM and sets at 6:27 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:51 PM – 6:43 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 | 7:24 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 51m |
| February | 7:00 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 11m |
| June | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 45m |
| July | 6:01 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 31m |
| August | 6:26 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:18 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:34 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 10m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 35m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Mechanicsville
At Mechanicsville the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
Best photo spots near Mechanicsville
19 photo locations lie within 80 km of Mechanicsville. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
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LighthouseBotanical Gardens
National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge
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National Wildlife RefugeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Mechanicsville is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bowlers Rock Light, about 61 km (38 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 8.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowlers Rock Light | Lighthouse | 61 km (38 mi) | 3 |
| Belle Isle State Park | State Park | 71 km (44 mi) | 3 |
| Bear Creek Lake State Park | State Park | 80 km (49 mi) | 3 |
| Trent's Mill Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 81 km (50 mi) | 3 |
| Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park | State Park | 82 km (51 mi) | 3 |
| Twin Lakes State Park | State Park | 93 km (58 mi) | 3 |
| Stingray Point Light | Lighthouse | 97 km (60 mi) | 3 |
| Great Wicomico River Light | Lighthouse | 100 km (62 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 4:14 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:57 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| May | 12:16 AM – 4:06 AM | 3.8 | 24° |
| June | 10:26 PM – 3:46 AM | 5.3 | 24° |
| July | 10:20 PM – 2:30 AM | 4.2 | 24° |
| August | 9:40 PM – 12:20 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| September | 8:47 PM – 10:17 PM | 1.5 | 20° |
| October | 8:00 PM – 8:20 PM | 0.3 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 49% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (59%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.