Ilchester is a city of about 23,476 people in Howard County, Maryland. Today the sun rises at 7:22 AM and sets at 6:23 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:46 PM – 6:39 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 | 7:26 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 7:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:31 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:55 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 55m |
| July | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 6:21 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:20 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 26m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Ilchester
At Ilchester the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (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 Ilchester
128 photo locations lie within 80 km of Ilchester. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic ViewpointWaterfalls
State Parks
Lakes
Lighthouses
LighthouseBeaches
BeachNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Ilchester is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Big Mountain, about 127 km (79 mi) away (Bortle 3). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Mountain | Mountain Peak | 127 km (79 mi) | 3 |
| Cowans Gap State Park | State Park | 130 km (81 mi) | 3 |
| Clay Island Light | Lighthouse | 131 km (82 mi) | 3 |
| Berkeley Springs State Park | State Park | 131 km (82 mi) | 3 |
| Sidneys Knob | Mountain Peak | 133 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Sharkfin Shoal Light | Lighthouse | 133 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Cacapon Resort State Park | State Park | 134 km (83 mi) | 3 |
| Fowlers Hollow State Park | State Park | 135 km (84 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:14 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:43 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:20 AM – 4:50 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:22 AM – 4:02 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:36 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:28 PM – 2:08 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| August | 9:44 PM – 12:14 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 8:48 PM – 10:08 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:09 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (63%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.