Charleston is a city of about 46,838 people in Kanawha County, West Virginia, at 182 m (597 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:41 AM and sets at 6:43 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:07 PM – 7:00 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 | 7:43 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 47m |
| February | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:32 PM | 10h 47m |
| March | 7:39 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 15m |
| June | 6:03 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 49m |
| July | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 35m |
| August | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 40m |
| September | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:03 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:36 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 06m |
| December | 7:37 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 31m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Charleston
At Charleston 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 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
Best photo spots near Charleston
25 photo locations lie within 80 km of Charleston. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Charleston is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Kanawha Falls, about 43 km (27 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanawha Falls | Waterfall | 43 km (27 mi) | 2 |
| Cathedral Falls | Waterfall | 45 km (28 mi) | 2 |
| Chief Logan State Park | State Park | 61 km (38 mi) | 2 |
| Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park | State Park | 63 km (39 mi) | 2 |
| Twin Falls Resort State Park | State Park | 82 km (51 mi) | 2 |
| Bryant | Ghost Town | 86 km (53 mi) | 2 |
| McClung | Ghost Town | 86 km (54 mi) | 2 |
| Fairview | Ghost Town | 87 km (54 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:24 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 4:42 AM – 6:02 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:37 AM – 5:07 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:37 AM – 4:27 AM | 3.8 | 23° |
| June | 10:49 PM – 3:59 AM | 5.2 | 23° |
| July | 10:42 PM – 2:42 AM | 4.0 | 23° |
| August | 10:01 PM – 12:41 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| September | 9:06 PM – 10:36 PM | 1.5 | 19° |
| October | 8:18 PM – 8:38 PM | 0.3 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.