Wheaton is a city of about 53,715 people in DuPage County, Illinois, at 231 m (758 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:11 AM and sets at 6:05 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 | 7:18 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:13 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 | 9:04 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 6:01 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:38 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 Wheaton
At Wheaton 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 Wheaton
55 photo locations lie within 80 km of Wheaton. 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 Wheaton is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bourbonais, about 140 km (87 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 | 140 km (87 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 140 km (87 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 142 km (88 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 165 km (103 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 173 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 173 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Brisco | Ghost Town | 174 km (108 mi) | 3 |
| Chatterton | Ghost Town | 178 km (111 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:22 AM – 5:22 AM | 1.0 | 16° |
| April | 2:23 AM – 4:23 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:21 AM – 3:31 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| June | 10:40 PM – 3:00 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:30 PM – 1:40 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:40 PM – 11:40 PM | 2.0 | 19° |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:38 PM | 1.0 | 16° |
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.