Portsmouth is a city of about 96,201 people in City of Portsmouth, Virginia. Today the sun rises at 7:18 AM and sets at 6:23 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:48 PM – 6:40 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 | 7:18 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 55m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:32 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:58 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 08m |
| June | 5:46 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 40m |
| July | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 27m |
| August | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:25 PM | 10h 13m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 39m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Portsmouth
At Portsmouth 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
Best photo spots near Portsmouth
44 photo locations lie within 80 km of Portsmouth. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
State Parks
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State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
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LighthouseBeaches
Botanical Gardens
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Portsmouth is estimated at Bortle 9 (inner-city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Beach Access Ramp 48, about 189 km (118 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Access Ramp 48 | Beach | 189 km (118 mi) | 1 |
| Cape Hatteras Light Station | Lighthouse | 189 km (118 mi) | 1 |
| Cape Hatteras Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 189 km (118 mi) | 1 |
| Beach Access Ramp 44 | Beach | 191 km (119 mi) | 1 |
| Beach Access Ramp 43 | Beach | 191 km (119 mi) | 1 |
| Pettigrew State Park | State Park | 116 km (72 mi) | 2 |
| Bee Tree Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 118 km (74 mi) | 2 |
| Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 122 km (76 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:53 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.5 | 14° |
| March | 4:09 AM – 5:49 AM | 1.7 | 21° |
| April | 2:01 AM – 4:51 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| May | 12:08 AM – 4:08 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| June | 10:18 PM – 3:48 AM | 5.5 | 24° |
| July | 10:12 PM – 2:22 AM | 4.2 | 24° |
| August | 9:33 PM – 12:23 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| September | 8:42 PM – 10:22 PM | 1.7 | 21° |
| October | 7:56 PM – 8:26 PM | 0.5 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (57%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.