West Chicago is a city of about 27,447 people in DuPage County, Illinois, at 239 m (784 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:11 AM and sets at 6:05 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:27 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 | 4:04 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 09m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in West Chicago
At West 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 West Chicago
53 photo locations lie within 80 km of West Chicago. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central West Chicago is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bourbonais, about 133 km (83 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 | 133 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 135 km (84 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 136 km (84 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 165 km (102 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 165 km (102 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 168 km (104 mi) | 3 |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | State Park | 176 km (109 mi) | 3 |
| Brisco | Ghost Town | 178 km (111 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:33 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:25 AM – 4:25 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:34 AM – 3:34 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| June | 10:43 PM – 3:03 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:33 PM – 1:43 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:42 PM – 11:42 PM | 2.0 | 18° |
| September | 8:40 PM – 9:40 PM | 1.0 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.