Huntley is a city of about 26,005 people in McHenry County, Illinois, at 271 m (889 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:13 AM and sets at 6:06 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:27 PM – 6:23 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 | 7:20 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 14m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 07m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Huntley
At Huntley 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 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Huntley
46 photo locations lie within 80 km of Huntley. 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 Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Huntley is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bourbonais, about 136 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbonais | Ghost Town | 136 km (84 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 137 km (85 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 137 km (85 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 137 km (85 mi) | 3 |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | State Park | 143 km (89 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 147 km (91 mi) | 3 |
| Charles Mound | Mountain Peak | 154 km (95 mi) | 3 |
| Pendarvis | Ghost Town | 163 km (101 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:27 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:36 AM – 3:26 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 10:46 PM – 2:56 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:36 PM – 1:36 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 9:44 PM – 11:34 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:41 PM – 9:31 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 47% 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.