Unga — a ghost town in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Sand Point, about 16.9 km (10.5 mi) away (Unga lies S of town).
Unga (Unangam tunuu: Uĝnaasaqax̂) is a ghost town on Unga Island in the Aleutians East Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, about two miles west of Sand Point. The island's length is 15 miles (24 km). Unga's altitude is 59 feet (18 m).From the Wikipedia article “Unga, Alaska”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Unga the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 44° (NE) at the June solstice and 133° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 316° (NW) in June to 228° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 58° in summer but only 11° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:45 AM | 89° E | 8:56 PM | 271° W | 35° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:02 AM | 44° NE | 11:27 PM | 316° NW | 58° | 17h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:28 AM | 89° E | 8:43 PM | 272° W | 35° | 12h 14m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:07 AM | 133° SE | 5:15 PM | 228° SW | 11° | 7h 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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:16 AM | 9:59 AM | 11:06 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:28 PM | 7h 46m |
| February | 8:28 AM | 9:06 AM | 9:59 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:26 PM | 9h 43m |
| March | 8:21 AM | 8:58 AM | 9:46 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:22 PM | 11h 48m |
| April | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:28 AM | 8:57 PM | 9:47 PM | 10:26 PM | 14h 08m |
| May | 5:46 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:29 AM | 9:49 PM | 10:45 PM | 11:33 PM | 16h 11m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:04 AM | 10:23 PM | 11:25 PM | 12:23 AM | 17h 23m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:22 AM | 10:15 PM | 11:14 PM | 12:07 AM | 16h 51m |
| August | 6:35 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:09 AM | 9:26 PM | 10:18 PM | 11:00 PM | 15h 00m |
| September | 7:39 AM | 8:15 AM | 9:03 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:38 PM | 12h 45m |
| October | 8:36 AM | 9:13 AM | 10:03 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:21 PM | 10h 31m |
| November | 8:35 AM | 9:16 AM | 10:18 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:20 PM | 8h 23m |
| December | 9:17 AM | 10:03 AM | 11:18 AM | 3:59 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:59 PM | 7h 10m |
Local time (America/Anchorage), 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
At this latitude the summer nights are too short or too bright for the Milky Way core to stand high in true darkness; aim for star trails or the aurora.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (82%). August is the warmest month and March 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 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 47 | 64 | 70 | 72 | 69 | 61 | 54 | 50 | 46 |
| Low °F | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 24 | 33 | 40 | 41 | 35 | 28 | 19 | 14 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.6 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.5 |
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 ghost town
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Unga, closest first.
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. 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.