Burien is a city of about 50,467 people in King County, Washington, at 115 m (377 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:36 AM and sets at 6:14 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:31 PM – 6:33 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 | 7:53 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:20 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 7:16 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 6:01 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 6:06 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:29 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:51 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 28m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Burien
At Burien the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
Best photo spots near Burien
229 photo locations lie within 80 km of Burien. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
WaterfallState Parks
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Beaches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Burien is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Salmon Cascades, about 133 km (83 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from April to August, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon Cascades | Waterfall | 133 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Crown Point Falls | Waterfall | 135 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Maude | Mountain Peak | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Seven Fingered Jack | Mountain Peak | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| East Twin Falls | Waterfall | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| South Cascade Glacier | Glacier | 138 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Fernow | Mountain Peak | 138 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Sentinel Peak (Washington) | Mountain Peak | 138 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 3:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 0.7 | 13° |
| May | 1:42 AM – 3:02 AM | 1.3 | 13° |
| June | 12:13 AM – 2:03 AM | 1.8 | 14° |
| July | 11:44 PM – 1:04 AM | 1.3 | 13° |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:56 PM | 0.5 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (80%). August is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.