Alton is a city of about 27,003 people in Madison County, Illinois, at 150 m (492 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:16 AM and sets at 6:17 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:40 PM – 6:33 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 53m |
| July | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 38m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 04m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 28m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Alton
At Alton 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.
Best photo spots near Alton
31 photo locations lie within 80 km of Alton. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Natural Arches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Alton is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is White Oak Springs, about 123 km (76 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak Springs | Ghost Town | 123 km (76 mi) | 2 |
| Chapel Hill Beach | Beach | 144 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Shepard | Ghost Town | 146 km (91 mi) | 2 |
| Bell Mountain Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 153 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site | State Park | 153 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Jay Nixon State Park | State Park | 154 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Taum Sauk Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 154 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Taum Sauk Mountain | Mountain Peak | 154 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:08 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:17 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:43 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:15 AM – 3:55 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:28 PM – 3:28 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:21 PM – 2:11 AM | 3.8 | 22° |
| August | 9:37 PM – 12:07 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 8:42 PM – 10:02 PM | 1.3 | 19° |
| October | 7:53 PM – 8:03 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.