Arabia Mountain is a mountain peak in DeKalb County, Georgia at about 289 m (948 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Pine Mountain, about 1.3 km (0.8 mi) away (Arabia Mountain lies SSW of town).
Arabia Mountain, a part of Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, is the northern of two peaks in the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, in DeKalb County, Georgia. A low saddle separates it from Bradley Mountain, several hundred feet to its south. The two form a monadnock. The peak is 955 feet (290 m) above sea level, rising 172 feet (52 m) above Arabia Lake reservoir. Bradley Mountain is closer to the visitor trails than Arabia Mountain and is often misidentified by visitors as Arabia Mountain.From the Wikipedia article “Arabia Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Arabia Mountain 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) | 7:41 AM | 90° E | 7:48 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:27 AM | 61° ENE | 8:51 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:25 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 118° ESE | 5:33 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 55m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:15 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:19 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:21 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:10 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:41 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 6:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 56m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Arabia Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:14 AM – 5:54 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:27 AM – 6:17 AM | 1.8 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 12:27 AM – 4:57 AM | 4.5 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:33 PM – 4:33 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:29 PM – 3:09 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 1:15 AM | 3.3 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 9:08 PM – 11:08 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:26 PM – 9:06 PM | 0.7 | 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.24 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (59%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 75 | 78 | 84 | 91 | 96 | 108 | 107 | 105 | 103 | 102 | 85 | 78 |
| Low °F | 8 | 15 | 17 | 26 | 38 | 52 | 57 | 56 | 42 | 29 | 20 | 17 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 5.0 |
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 mountain peak
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Arabia Mountain, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Arabia Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Arabia Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Arabia Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Arabia Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Arabia Mountain?
How far is Arabia Mountain from Pine Mountain?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.