Located in DuPage County, Illinois, James & Harold Moser Covered Bridge is a covered bridge. It sits roughly 1.6 km (1.0 mi) SSW of Naperville. It dates from 1984.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At James & Harold Moser Covered Bridge 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 57° ENE | 8:32 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 122° ESE | 4:26 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 08m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Covered bridges look their best with soft side-light and a backdrop of fall color, snow or fresh spring green.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 10m |
Local time (America/Chicago), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From James & Harold Moser Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 8 (city sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:23 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 3:32 AM | 3.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:01 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 1:41 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:41 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:39 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.29 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 62 | 66 | 80 | 84 | 92 | 102 | 107 | 103 | 96 | 88 | 75 | 69 |
| Low °F | -37 | -19 | -11 | 19 | 27 | 37 | 47 | 45 | 35 | 15 | 7 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this covered bridge
- Autumn foliage peaks are the most popular time — visit on weekdays to avoid crowds.
- Shoot from the stream bank to show the bridge, the water and its reflection together.
- Inside the bridge, the timber trusses make strong symmetrical compositions — use a tripod for long exposures.
- Many covered bridges still carry traffic; stay off the roadway and watch for vehicles.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Peak fall color is the classic season; winter snow and spring blossoms are less crowded alternatives.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Polarizer for foliage. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of James & Harold Moser Covered Bridge, closest first.
Beach
Botanical Garden
WaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
Botanical Garden
Ghost Town
Dark Sky PlaceFAQ
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.