Calumet City is a city of about 37,031 people in Cook County, Illinois, at 180 m (591 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:08 AM and sets at 6:03 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:25 PM – 6:20 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 | 7:15 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 11m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 54m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:31 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 11m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Calumet City
At Calumet City the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (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 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
Best photo spots near Calumet City
57 photo locations lie within 80 km of Calumet City. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
Lakes
Lighthouses
Beaches
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Calumet City is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Brisco, about 135 km (84 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisco | Ghost Town | 135 km (84 mi) | 3 |
| Chatterton | Ghost Town | 137 km (85 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 142 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Sloan | Ghost Town | 146 km (91 mi) | 3 |
| Portland Arch | Natural Arch | 156 km (97 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 168 km (105 mi) | 3 |
| Cades Mill Bridge | Covered Bridge | 173 km (108 mi) | 3 |
| Bourbonais | Ghost Town | 178 km (111 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:19 AM – 5:19 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:20 AM – 4:20 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:18 AM – 3:28 AM | 3.2 | 20° |
| June | 10:36 PM – 3:06 AM | 4.5 | 20° |
| July | 10:26 PM – 1:36 AM | 3.2 | 20° |
| August | 9:36 PM – 11:36 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:36 PM – 9:36 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
| October | 7:42 PM – 7:42 PM | 0.0 | 10° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (73%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.

