Springfield is a city of about 114,394 people in Sangamon County, Illinois, at 182 m (597 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:15 AM and sets at 6:13 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:36 PM – 6:30 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 | 8:00 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 40m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:45 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 22m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 58m |
| July | 5:43 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 43m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 00m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 22m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Springfield
At Springfield the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Springfield
13 photo locations lie within 80 km of Springfield. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkBotanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife RefugeGhost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Springfield is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is White Oak Springs, about 101 km (63 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak Springs | Ghost Town | 101 km (63 mi) | 2 |
| Bunker Hill | Ghost Town | 183 km (114 mi) | 2 |
| Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site | State Park | 187 km (116 mi) | 2 |
| Cherry Dell | Ghost Town | 187 km (116 mi) | 2 |
| Mark Twain State Park | State Park | 188 km (117 mi) | 2 |
| Gurney | Ghost Town | 36 km (23 mi) | 3 |
| Sylvan | Ghost Town | 42 km (26 mi) | 3 |
| Sand Ridge State Forest | State Park | 70 km (44 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:06 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:14 AM – 4:44 AM | 2.5 | 21° |
| May | 12:17 AM – 3:47 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 10:31 PM – 3:21 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:23 PM – 2:03 AM | 3.7 | 21° |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:58 PM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.