Wheeling is a city of about 38,079 people in Cook County, Illinois, at 198 m (650 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:11 AM and sets at 6:04 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:25 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 | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:12 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:55 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 | 5:58 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 | 9:00 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:33 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 | 6:40 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 | 3:36 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 07m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Wheeling
At Wheeling 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 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Wheeling
51 photo locations lie within 80 km of Wheeling. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseBeaches
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Wheeling is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bourbonais, about 167 km (104 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 | 167 km (104 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 169 km (105 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 171 km (106 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 178 km (111 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 178 km (111 mi) | 3 |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | State Park | 182 km (113 mi) | 3 |
| Charles Mound | Mountain Peak | 194 km (121 mi) | 3 |
| Middle Fork River Forest Preserve | Dark Sky Place | 195 km (121 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:32 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:25 AM – 4:25 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:34 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 10:44 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:34 PM – 1:34 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 9:42 PM – 11:32 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:29 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.