Waterloo is a city of about 68,460 people in Black Hawk County, Iowa, at 261 m (856 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:29 AM and sets at 6:21 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:42 PM – 6:38 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 | 7:37 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 7:07 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:29 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 5:32 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 17m |
| July | 5:46 AM | 6:28 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 00m |
| August | 6:17 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:23 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 7:01 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 7:33 AM | 8:18 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 05m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Waterloo
At Waterloo 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 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Waterloo
6 photo locations lie within 80 km of Waterloo. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
Botanical Gardens
Ghost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Waterloo is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Donnan, about 59 km (37 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donnan | Ghost Town | 59 km (37 mi) | 2 |
| Backbone State Park | State Park | 66 km (41 mi) | 2 |
| Chicken Ridge Scenic Overlook Park | Scenic Viewpoint | 83 km (52 mi) | 2 |
| Littleport | Ghost Town | 85 km (53 mi) | 2 |
| Elkport | Ghost Town | 92 km (57 mi) | 2 |
| Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 95 km (59 mi) | 2 |
| Spook Cave | Cave | 104 km (64 mi) | 2 |
| Bussey Lake | Lake | 107 km (67 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:50 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:42 AM – 4:42 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:43 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 11:04 PM – 3:14 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:53 PM – 1:53 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 10:00 PM – 11:50 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:57 PM – 9:47 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 46% 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.