Aello Peak is a mountain peak in Copper River Census Area, Alaska at about 4,362 m (14,311 ft) above sea level.
Aello Peak is the highest peak of a mountain group called The Twaharpies, just west of Mount Bona in the Saint Elias Mountains of Alaska. While not highly significant in terms of prominence or isolation (it is just 5 miles (8 km) west of the summit of Mount Bona), it has a tremendous south face. From the summit, this face drops 7,000 feet (2,130 m) in just over 1 mile (1.6 km), and 8,500 feet (2,590 m) in less than 2.5 miles (4.0 km). In terms of vertical relief and steepness, this is one of the major faces in North America. The Twaharpies also include two other named summits, Ocypete Peak and Celeno Peak, to the southwest of Aello Peak. Other summits of the Mount Bona massif include University Peak, also a peak with huge, steep relief, and Mount Churchill, a higher but much gentler peak.From the Wikipedia article “Aello Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Aello Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 31° (NNE) at the June solstice and 144° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 329° (NNW) in June to 217° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 52° in summer but only 5° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:29 AM | 89° E | 7:42 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:47 AM | 31° NNE | 11:13 PM | 329° NNW | 52° | 19h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 88° E | 7:30 PM | 272° W | 29° | 12h 17m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:45 AM | 144° SE | 3:08 PM | 217° SW | 5° | 5h 23m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:30 AM | 9:27 AM | 11:18 AM | 1:58 PM | 3:48 PM | 4:45 PM | 6h 21m |
| February | 7:25 AM | 8:12 AM | 9:20 AM | 4:06 PM | 5:14 PM | 6:00 PM | 9h 02m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:43 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:29 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 44m |
| April | 5:18 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:39 PM | 14h 43m |
| May | 3:28 AM | 4:40 AM | 5:51 AM | 8:59 PM | 10:10 PM | 11:21 PM | 17h 30m |
| June | — | 3:48 AM | 5:15 AM | 9:43 PM | 11:10 PM | — | 19h 23m |
| July | 2:43 AM | 4:19 AM | 5:38 AM | 9:31 PM | 10:50 PM | 12:26 AM | 18h 31m |
| August | 4:41 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:25 PM | 15h 53m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:37 PM | 12h 57m |
| October | 7:27 AM | 8:11 AM | 9:13 AM | 5:15 PM | 6:17 PM | 7:01 PM | 10h 06m |
| November | 7:44 AM | 8:36 AM | 10:04 AM | 2:23 PM | 3:51 PM | 4:43 PM | 7h 15m |
| December | 8:37 AM | 9:40 AM | — | — | 3:08 PM | 4:10 PM | 5h 28m |
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
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| 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 0.0+ 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 62% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 34 | 29 | 35 | 42 | 45 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 44 | 43 | 31 | 29 |
| Low °F | -46 | -46 | -51 | -23 | -4 | 13 | 17 | 11 | 3 | -21 | -34 | -39 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 |
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 mountain peak
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Aello Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Glacier
Wilderness AreaFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Aello Peak?
What time is golden hour at Aello Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Aello Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Aello Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Aello Peak?
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.