Peridot Mesa is a rock formation in Gila County, Arizona. The nearest town is San Carlos, about 3.1 km (1.9 mi) away (Peridot Mesa lies WSW of town).
The Peridot Mesa vent is a part of the San Carlos volcanic field located in San Carlos, Arizona, United States on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. The mesa is about 3 km (1.9 mi) in diameter and is capped by a basalt flow 3 to 6 meters thick that originated from a volcanic cone located in the Southwest corner of the mesa. The flow which surrounds this vent is of special interest to igneous petrologists due to several unique qualities including the extremely high concentration of xenoliths.From the Wikipedia article “Peridot Mesa”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Peridot Mesa 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) | 6:26 AM | 90° E | 6:34 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 61° ENE | 7:35 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:11 AM | 89° E | 6:20 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:23 AM | 118° ESE | 5:19 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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:59 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:06 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:27 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:18 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:23 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:43 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:03 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:01 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 5:19 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 5:41 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:39 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:55 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:02 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:01 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:15 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:44 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 Peridot Mesa, 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:51 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:03 AM – 5:03 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:00 AM – 4:20 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:01 PM – 3:41 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:16 PM – 3:26 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:12 PM – 2:02 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:39 PM – 11:59 PM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 7:53 PM – 9:53 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:12 PM – 8:02 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.59 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 rock formation
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Peridot Mesa, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Peridot Mesa?
What time is golden hour at Peridot Mesa?
Where does the sun rise and set at Peridot Mesa?
Can you see the Milky Way from Peridot Mesa?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Peridot Mesa?
How far is Peridot Mesa from San Carlos?
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.