Aurora is a city of about 200,661 people in Kane County, Illinois, at 207 m (679 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:12 AM and sets at 6:06 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:27 PM – 6:23 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 | 7:19 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 10m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Aurora
At Aurora 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.
Best photo spots near Aurora
53 photo locations lie within 80 km of Aurora. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Aurora is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bourbonais, about 119 km (74 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbonais | Ghost Town | 119 km (74 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 119 km (74 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 122 km (76 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 156 km (97 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 162 km (101 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 162 km (101 mi) | 3 |
| Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area | State Park | 169 km (105 mi) | 3 |
| Brisco | Ghost Town | 170 km (106 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:23 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:22 AM – 3:32 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:01 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:31 PM – 1:41 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:41 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:39 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
Cloud cover by month
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.