Chicago is a city of about 2,664,452 people in Cook County, Illinois, at 179 m (587 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:09 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 | 7:16 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 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 | 6:54 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 53m |
| 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 07m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 09m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Chicago
At Chicago the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (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
62 photo locations lie within 80 km of Chicago. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseLighthouseBeaches
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Chicago is estimated at Bortle 9 (inner-city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Brisco, about 162 km (101 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 | 162 km (101 mi) | 3 |
| Chatterton | Ghost Town | 164 km (102 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 165 km (103 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 170 km (106 mi) | 3 |
| Sloan | Ghost Town | 173 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Bourbonais | Ghost Town | 174 km (108 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 178 km (110 mi) | 3 |
| Portland Arch | Natural Arch | 183 km (114 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:21 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:22 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:20 AM – 3:30 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| June | 10:39 PM – 2:59 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:29 PM – 1:39 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:39 PM – 11:39 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:37 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
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.