Yucca Mountain is a mountain peak in Nye County, Nevada. It sits roughly 27 km (17 mi) E of Beatty.
Yucca Mountain is a mountain in Nevada, near its border with California, approximately 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Las Vegas. Located in the Great Basin, Yucca Mountain is east of the Amargosa Desert, south of the Nevada Test and Training Range and in the Nevada National Security Site. It is the site of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, which is currently identified by US federal law as the nation's spent nuclear waste storage facility. However, while licensure of the site through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is ongoing, political maneuvering led to the site being de-funded in 2010.From the Wikipedia article “Yucca Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Yucca Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 60° ENE | 8:09 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:56 AM | 119° ESE | 4:33 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 37m |
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 | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:47 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:16 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 4:56 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 41m |
| July | 5:09 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 27m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:21 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:28 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 5:58 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:03 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:05 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 39m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Yucca Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:44 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:50 AM – 5:20 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:43 AM – 4:33 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 11:51 PM – 3:51 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:00 PM – 3:30 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:54 PM – 2:04 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:15 PM – 12:05 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:23 PM – 10:03 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:37 PM – 8:07 PM | 0.5 | 14° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 19% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (47%). 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 | 78 | 78 | 89 | 96 | 107 | 112 | 113 | 113 | 109 | 98 | 85 | 74 |
| Low °F | 18 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 39 | 47 | 61 | 58 | 44 | 27 | 22 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
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
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Yucca Mountain, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Yucca Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Yucca Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Yucca Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Yucca Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Yucca Mountain?
How far is Yucca Mountain from Beatty?
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.