Located in Bennington County, Vermont, Aeolus Cave is a cave. The nearest town is Manchester Center, about 6.7 km (4.2 mi) away (Aeolus Cave lies NNE of town).
Aeolus Cave or Dorset Bat Cave is a marble solutional cave, located 2,520 feet (770 m) up in the Taconic Mountains near East Dorset, Vermont, United States. Alternate names that have shown up in the literature include Aeolus Cave, Mount Aeolus Cave, and Dorset Bat Cave. The largest cave in New England, Aeolus Cave was noted for being the largest bat hibernaculum in the northeastern United States before white nose syndrome almost completely destroyed its bat population.From the Wikipedia article “Aeolus Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Aeolus Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:56 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 56° NE | 8:36 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:40 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 122° ESE | 4:20 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 58m |
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 | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:07 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 20m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 22m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 05m |
| August | 5:27 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:29 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:51 PM | 9h 00m |
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 Aeolus Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:38 AM – 4:18 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 3:21 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:54 PM – 2:44 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:42 PM – 1:32 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 9:21 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.44 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 59 | 68 | 75 | 82 | 86 | 94 | 97 | 92 | 90 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -32 | -24 | -19 | 5 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 44 | 33 | 20 | -2 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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 cave
- 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.
- Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Aeolus Cave, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Natural Arch
State Park
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain Peak
Wilderness AreaWilderness Area
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Hapgood Pond11.3 km (7.0 mi) · reservable
- Winhall Brook Camping Area19.4 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
- Grout Pond Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Aeolus Cave?
What time is golden hour at Aeolus Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Aeolus Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Aeolus Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Aeolus Cave?
How far is Aeolus Cave from Manchester Center?
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.