Centennial Beach is a beach in DuPage County, Illinois at about 204 m (669 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 1.7 km (1.1 mi) SSW of Naperville.
Centennial Beach is a public aquatic park located at 500 W. Jackson Avenue in Naperville, Illinois. The Beach is within an abandoned, double quarry alongside the DuPage River. The facility covers almost 6 acres (24,000 m2) of land with a full two acres (8,000 m2) or 6.2 million gallons of open water from Lake Michigan, all tested, re-circulated and chlorinated on site. Among its features is a sand beach next to the shallow end of the pool which offers a zero-depth entry. At the zero depth area of the pool, there are 2 large water play features which pour water from about 10 feet (3.0 m) up, and water spouts that shoot up water for children to play in and cool off. The shallow end of the pool goes from 0 feet (0 m) to 4 feet (1.2 m), getting deeper as one walks further into the pool. In the 4 feet (1.2 m) area there are 3 lanes for lap swimmers, where Centennial Beach's swim team, The...From the Wikipedia article “Centennial Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Centennial Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 57° ENE | 8:32 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 122° ESE | 4:26 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 08m |
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
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 10m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Centennial Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 8 (city 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:23 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 3:32 AM | 3.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:01 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 1:41 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:41 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:39 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.3 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 62 | 66 | 80 | 84 | 92 | 102 | 107 | 103 | 96 | 88 | 75 | 69 |
| Low °F | -37 | -19 | -11 | 19 | 27 | 37 | 47 | 45 | 35 | 15 | 7 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
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 beach
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Centennial Beach, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Botanical Garden
WaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
Botanical Garden
Ghost TownFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Centennial Beach?
What time is golden hour at Centennial Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Centennial Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Centennial Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Centennial Beach?
How far is Centennial Beach from Naperville?
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.