Palatine is a city of about 69,308 people in Cook County, Illinois, at 226 m (741 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:11 AM and sets at 6:04 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:26 PM – 6:22 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 | 4:02 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 14m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 57m |
| August | 6:01 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 08m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Palatine
At Palatine 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 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Palatine
53 photo locations lie within 80 km of Palatine. 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 Palatine is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bourbonais, about 158 km (98 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 | 158 km (98 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 160 km (99 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 163 km (101 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 170 km (106 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 170 km (106 mi) | 3 |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | State Park | 175 km (109 mi) | 3 |
| Charles Mound | Mountain Peak | 187 km (116 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 192 km (119 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:32 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:33 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| June | 10:42 PM – 3:02 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:42 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:41 PM | 2.0 | 18° |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:39 PM | 1.0 | 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.