Sun Prairie is a city of about 32,365 people in Dane County, Wisconsin, at 292 m (958 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:17 AM and sets at 6:07 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:28 PM – 6:25 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 | 4:03 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 22m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 6:03 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:11 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:51 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 7:23 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 00m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Sun Prairie
At Sun Prairie the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) 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 Sun Prairie
37 photo locations lie within 80 km of Sun Prairie. 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
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Natural Arches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Sun Prairie is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Fordham, about 98 km (61 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 | 98 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Roche-a-Cri State Park | State Park | 103 km (64 mi) | 2 |
| Buckhorn State Park | State Park | 105 km (66 mi) | 2 |
| Roche a Cri | Ghost Town | 109 km (68 mi) | 2 |
| Wildcat Mountain State Park | State Park | 123 km (76 mi) | 2 |
| Necedah National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 129 km (80 mi) | 2 |
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 157 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Bussey Lake | Lake | 159 km (99 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 | 12:46 AM – 3:26 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| June | 10:59 PM – 2:49 AM | 3.8 | 18° |
| July | 10:47 PM – 1:37 AM | 2.8 | 18° |
| August | 9:51 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.7 | 17° |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:26 PM | 0.7 | 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.