Virginia Beach is a city of about 454,808 people in City of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Today the sun rises at 7:17 AM and sets at 6:22 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:47 PM – 6:38 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 | 7:17 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 55m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:37 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:31 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:57 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 08m |
| June | 5:45 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 40m |
| July | 5:57 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 27m |
| August | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 13m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 39m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Virginia Beach
At Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach
46 photo locations lie within 80 km of Virginia Beach. 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 Virginia Beach is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Cape Hatteras Light Station, about 183 km (113 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Hatteras Light Station | Lighthouse | 183 km (113 mi) | 1 |
| Cape Hatteras Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 183 km (114 mi) | 1 |
| Beach Access Ramp 48 | Beach | 183 km (114 mi) | 1 |
| Beach Access Ramp 43 | Beach | 184 km (115 mi) | 1 |
| Beach Access Ramp 44 | Beach | 184 km (115 mi) | 1 |
| Diamond Shoal Light | Lighthouse | 199 km (123 mi) | 1 |
| Beach Access Ramp 1 | Beach | 118 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Roanoke Marshes Light | Lighthouse | 118 km (74 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:52 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.5 | 14° |
| March | 4:08 AM – 5:48 AM | 1.7 | 21° |
| April | 2:00 AM – 4:50 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| May | 12:07 AM – 4:07 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| June | 10:17 PM – 3:47 AM | 5.5 | 24° |
| July | 10:11 PM – 2:21 AM | 4.2 | 24° |
| August | 9:32 PM – 12:22 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:21 PM | 1.7 | 21° |
| October | 7:55 PM – 8:25 PM | 0.5 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 55% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (73%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.