Charleston is a city of about 21,196 people in Coles County, Illinois, at 204 m (669 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:08 AM and sets at 6:08 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:31 PM – 6:25 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 | 7:12 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 44m |
| 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 | 6:54 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 5:26 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 6:06 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:08 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:49 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 24m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Charleston
At Charleston the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (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 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Charleston
21 photo locations lie within 80 km of Charleston. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeGhost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Charleston is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, about 13.1 km (8.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site | State Park | 13.1 km (8.1 mi) | 3 |
| Thompson Mill Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 61 km (38 mi) | 3 |
| Quaker | Ghost Town | 69 km (43 mi) | 3 |
| Possum Bottom Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 70 km (44 mi) | 3 |
| Newport Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 77 km (48 mi) | 3 |
| Mecca Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 77 km (48 mi) | 3 |
| Sim Smith Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 79 km (49 mi) | 3 |
| Melcher 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 | 12° |
| March | 4:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:07 AM – 4:37 AM | 2.5 | 21° |
| May | 12:10 AM – 3:40 AM | 3.5 | 22° |
| June | 10:24 PM – 3:24 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:16 PM – 1:56 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| August | 9:31 PM – 11:51 PM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 8:35 PM – 9:55 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 7:45 PM – 7:55 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
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 (69%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.