Chicago Heights is a city of about 30,284 people in Cook County, Illinois, at 201 m (659 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:09 AM and sets at 6:03 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:25 PM – 6:21 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 | 4:03 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 10m |
| 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 | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:32 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 11m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Chicago Heights
At Chicago Heights 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 Chicago Heights
57 photo locations lie within 80 km of Chicago Heights. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
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State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
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LighthouseBeaches
Botanical Gardens
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Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Chicago Heights is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Brisco, about 124 km (77 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 | 124 km (77 mi) | 3 |
| Chatterton | Ghost Town | 127 km (79 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 128 km (79 mi) | 3 |
| Sloan | Ghost Town | 135 km (84 mi) | 3 |
| Portland Arch | Natural Arch | 145 km (90 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 156 km (97 mi) | 3 |
| Cades Mill Bridge | Covered Bridge | 163 km (101 mi) | 3 |
| Bourbonais | Ghost Town | 168 km (104 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:20 AM – 5:20 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:21 AM – 4:21 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:19 AM – 3:29 AM | 3.2 | 20° |
| June | 10:37 PM – 3:07 AM | 4.5 | 20° |
| July | 10:27 PM – 1:37 AM | 3.2 | 20° |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:37 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:37 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
| October | 7:43 PM – 7:43 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.