Champaign is a city of about 86,096 people in Champaign County, Illinois, at 225 m (738 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:09 AM and sets at 6:07 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:30 PM – 6:24 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 | 7:14 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 38m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 7:05 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:38 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 24m |
| June | 5:24 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:57 PM | 15h 01m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 45m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 20m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Champaign
At Champaign 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
Best photo spots near Champaign
17 photo locations lie within 80 km of Champaign. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeNatural Arches
Ghost Towns
Dark Sky Places
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Champaign is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, about 38 km (23 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 38 km (23 mi) | 3 |
| Quaker | Ghost Town | 67 km (42 mi) | 3 |
| Eugene Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 68 km (42 mi) | 3 |
| Sloan | Ghost Town | 68 km (42 mi) | 3 |
| Newport Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 73 km (46 mi) | 3 |
| Possum Bottom Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 76 km (47 mi) | 3 |
| Portland Arch | Natural Arch | 78 km (48 mi) | 3 |
| Mill Creek Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 79 km (49 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:00 AM – 5:10 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 4:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:08 AM – 4:28 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| May | 12:12 AM – 3:42 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 10:27 PM – 3:17 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:19 PM – 1:49 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| August | 9:33 PM – 11:53 PM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 8:36 PM – 9:46 PM | 1.2 | 18° |
| October | 7:45 PM – 7:55 PM | 0.2 | 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.