Ray — a ghost town in Pinal County, Arizona — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 15.3 km (9.5 mi) SE of Superior.
Ray is a ghost town in Pinal County, Arizona, United States; it is mostly known for the large copper mine there. It was named after the nearby Ray mine, which was begun by the Ray Copper Company in 1882, after the sister of one of the miners, whose name was Bullinger. The town of Kearny was founded by the Kennecott Mining Company in 1958 as a planned community to accommodate the populations of Ray, Barcelona and Sonora, which were about to be enveloped by Kennecott's copper mine. Relocation to Kearny began in 1958. The Copper Basin Railway ran through the town. A newspaper, the Arizona Copper Camp, was published in Ray from 1910 to 1920.From the Wikipedia article “Ray, Arizona”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ray the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:29 AM | 90° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 61° ENE | 7:37 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 21m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:13 AM | 89° E | 6:22 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 118° ESE | 5:22 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 57m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 12m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:11 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:29 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:28 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:20 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:45 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 14h 20m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:03 PM | 14h 08m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:37 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 5:44 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:41 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:57 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:04 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:02 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:17 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 58m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Ray, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:53 AM – 5:43 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:05 AM – 5:05 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:02 AM – 4:22 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:03 PM – 3:43 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:18 PM – 3:28 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:14 PM – 2:04 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:41 PM – 12:01 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 7:55 PM – 9:55 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:14 PM – 8:04 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.31 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (54%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 77 | 78 | 87 | 94 | 104 | 110 | 109 | 107 | 104 | 97 | 87 | 75 |
| Low °F | 9 | 15 | 20 | 26 | 33 | 50 | 62 | 60 | 44 | 29 | 20 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.7 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this ghost town
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Ray, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Scenic Viewpoint
State ParkScenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ray?
What time is golden hour at Ray?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ray?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ray?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ray?
How far is Ray from Superior?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.