Bloomington is a city of about 78,292 people in McLean County, Illinois, at 243 m (797 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:13 AM and sets at 6:10 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:33 PM – 6:27 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 | 8:00 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 36m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:18 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 26m |
| June | 5:26 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 03m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 47m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 57m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 18m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Bloomington
At Bloomington the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
Best photo spots near Bloomington
12 photo locations lie within 80 km of Bloomington. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Bloomington is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is White Oak Springs, about 169 km (105 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak Springs | Ghost Town | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 74 km (46 mi) | 3 |
| Sand Ridge State Forest | State Park | 74 km (46 mi) | 3 |
| Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 86 km (53 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 87 km (54 mi) | 3 |
| Sylvan | Ghost Town | 107 km (66 mi) | 3 |
| Midway | Ghost Town | 108 km (67 mi) | 3 |
| Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area | State Park | 109 km (68 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.0 | 11° |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:34 AM | 1.2 | 17° |
| April | 2:23 AM – 4:33 AM | 2.2 | 20° |
| May | 12:18 AM – 3:38 AM | 3.3 | 21° |
| June | 10:34 PM – 3:14 AM | 4.7 | 21° |
| July | 10:25 PM – 1:55 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:48 PM | 2.2 | 20° |
| September | 8:40 PM – 9:50 PM | 1.2 | 17° |
| October | 7:48 PM – 7:48 PM | 0.0 | 11° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.