Roanoke is a city of about 100,011 people in City of Roanoke, Virginia, at 285 m (935 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:33 AM and sets at 6:38 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:02 PM – 6:54 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 | 7:33 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 53m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 50m |
| March | 7:32 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:46 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 6:12 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 10m |
| June | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 43m |
| July | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 29m |
| August | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 7:03 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:10 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 7:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 11m |
| December | 7:27 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 37m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Roanoke
At Roanoke the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (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 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
Best photo spots near Roanoke
130 photo locations lie within 80 km of Roanoke. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Covered BridgeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Roanoke is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Indian Creek Covered Bridge, about 64 km (40 mi) away (Bortle 2). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Creek Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 64 km (40 mi) | 2 |
| Haynes Cave | Cave | 67 km (41 mi) | 2 |
| Laurel Creek Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 69 km (43 mi) | 2 |
| Hokes Mill Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 70 km (43 mi) | 2 |
| Big Draft Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 78 km (48 mi) | 2 |
| Gunpowder Ridge Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 78 km (49 mi) | 2 |
| Egypt | Ghost Town | 80 km (50 mi) | 2 |
| Junta | Ghost Town | 84 km (52 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:18 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:54 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 2:27 AM – 5:07 AM | 2.7 | 24° |
| May | 12:26 AM – 4:26 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| June | 10:36 PM – 4:06 AM | 5.5 | 24° |
| July | 10:30 PM – 2:40 AM | 4.2 | 24° |
| August | 9:50 PM – 12:40 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| September | 8:58 PM – 10:38 PM | 1.7 | 21° |
| October | 8:11 PM – 8:31 PM | 0.3 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 51% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (63%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.