Morgantown is a city of about 30,708 people in Monongalia County, West Virginia, at 271 m (889 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:36 AM and sets at 6:35 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:58 PM – 6:52 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 | 7:40 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 7:13 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:32 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:54 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:43 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 6:06 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 5:52 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 6:05 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 7:02 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:30 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:09 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 7:05 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:35 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 7:34 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 23m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Morgantown
At Morgantown the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Morgantown
91 photo locations lie within 80 km of Morgantown. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
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Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
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Covered BridgeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Morgantown is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Olson Observation Tower, about 66 km (41 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olson Observation Tower | Fire Lookout | 66 km (41 mi) | 2 |
| Blackwater Canyon | Canyon | 69 km (43 mi) | 2 |
| Mill Run | Ghost Town | 77 km (48 mi) | 2 |
| West Union Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 79 km (49 mi) | 2 |
| North Bend Rail Trail | State Park | 95 km (59 mi) | 2 |
| Walkersville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 96 km (60 mi) | 2 |
| High Falls | Waterfall | 97 km (60 mi) | 2 |
| Falls of Seneca | Waterfall | 99 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:27 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 4:37 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:34 AM – 5:04 AM | 2.5 | 21° |
| May | 12:38 AM – 4:08 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 10:52 PM – 3:42 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:44 PM – 2:24 AM | 3.7 | 21° |
| August | 9:59 PM – 12:19 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 9:02 PM – 10:22 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 8:12 PM – 8:22 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.