North Chicago is a city of about 29,491 people in Lake County, Illinois, at 201 m (659 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:11 AM and sets at 6:03 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:24 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 | 7:19 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 5:15 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 16m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 06m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in North Chicago
At North 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 304° (WNW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near North Chicago
51 photo locations lie within 80 km of North Chicago. 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 North Chicago is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Little Sable Point Light, about 181 km (113 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Sable Point Light | Lighthouse | 181 km (113 mi) | 3 |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | State Park | 182 km (113 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 182 km (113 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 182 km (113 mi) | 3 |
| Silver Lake Sand Dunes | Sand Dunes | 184 km (114 mi) | 3 |
| Bourbonais | Ghost Town | 184 km (115 mi) | 3 |
| Silver Lake State Park | State Park | 185 km (115 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 186 km (116 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:31 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 10:43 PM – 2:53 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:33 PM – 1:33 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:28 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 58% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (85%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.