Burrows Cave is a cave in Richland County, Illinois.
Burrows Cave is the name given to an alleged cave site in Southern Illinois reputedly discovered by Russell E. Burrows in 1982 which he claimed contained many ancient artifacts. Because of the many inconsistencies and lack of evidence for his claims of discovery and findings, the cave, which has never been located, is considered a hoax by archaeologists and anthropologists.From the Wikipedia article “Burrows Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Burrows Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 59° ENE | 8:21 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 120° ESE | 4:35 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 27m |
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
Caves are lit artificially — show caves have fixed lighting, so a fast lens and high ISO beat flash, which flattens formations.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 4:56 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:09 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:09 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:46 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 28m |
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 Burrows Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 4:59 AM – 5:09 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:08 AM – 5:28 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:04 AM – 4:34 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:05 AM – 3:45 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:17 PM – 3:27 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:10 PM – 2:00 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:27 PM – 11:57 PM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:32 PM – 9:52 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:43 PM – 8:03 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.97 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 43% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (66%). 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 | 69 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 89 | 106 | 109 | 103 | 97 | 92 | 80 | 71 |
| Low °F | -9 | -6 | 5 | 22 | 34 | 40 | 52 | 51 | 38 | 25 | 12 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.1 |
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 cave
- Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
- Follow White-nose Syndrome decontamination rules where posted to protect bats.
- Many show caves restrict tripods on tours; ask in advance or bring a small beanbag.
- Use manual focus with focus peaking in low light.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Cave interiors stay at a constant temperature year-round; summer tours fill up, so book ahead.
Suggested gear: Fast lens (f/1.8–f/2.8), High-ISO camera, Small beanbag. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Burrows Cave, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Burrows Cave?
What time is golden hour at Burrows Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Burrows Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Burrows Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Burrows Cave?
How far is Burrows Cave from Olney?
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.