Madison is a city of about 280,305 people in Dane County, Wisconsin, at 267 m (876 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:18 AM and sets at 6:08 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:29 PM – 6:26 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 | 7:27 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:35 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:51 AM | 7:34 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 7:23 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 01m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Madison
At Madison the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
Best photo spots near Madison
36 photo locations lie within 80 km of Madison. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
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State ParkLakes
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LakeBotanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Natural Arches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Madison is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Fordham, about 105 km (65 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fordham | Ghost Town | 105 km (65 mi) | 2 |
| Buckhorn State Park | State Park | 108 km (67 mi) | 2 |
| Roche-a-Cri State Park | State Park | 109 km (68 mi) | 2 |
| Roche a Cri | Ghost Town | 114 km (71 mi) | 2 |
| Wildcat Mountain State Park | State Park | 117 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Necedah National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 131 km (82 mi) | 2 |
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 140 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| Bussey Lake | Lake | 142 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:39 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.8 | 14° |
| April | 2:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 12:45 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| June | 10:57 PM – 2:57 AM | 4.0 | 18° |
| July | 10:46 PM – 1:36 AM | 2.8 | 18° |
| August | 9:51 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.7 | 17° |
| September | 8:47 PM – 9:37 PM | 0.8 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.