Located in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, Amak Volcano is a mountain peak.
Amak Volcano is a basaltic andesite stratovolcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, United States, 618 miles (995 km) from Anchorage. It is located on the eponymous island, 31 miles (50 km) from Frosty Volcano and near the edge of the Alaskan Peninsula's western flank. Only boats are allowed to access the island with a certain permit. Blocky (dotted with flat blocks of minerals and crystals) lava flows stream from its summit to its flanks. Three historical eruptions have taken place – two within the 18th century, the first from 1700 to 1710, and the latter in 1796. The earliest prehistoric eruption was believed to have taken place between 3050 and 2050 BCE.From the Wikipedia article “Amak Volcano”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Amak Volcano 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 227° (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) | 8:55 AM | 89° E | 9:06 PM | 271° W | 35° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:11 AM | 44° NE | 11:39 PM | 316° NW | 58° | 17h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:39 AM | 89° E | 8:53 PM | 272° W | 35° | 12h 14m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:19 AM | 133° SE | 5:24 PM | 227° SW | 11° | 7h 04m |
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 | 9:27 AM | 10:11 AM | 11:19 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:38 PM | 7h 43m |
| February | 8:39 AM | 9:17 AM | 10:11 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:37 PM | 9h 42m |
| March | 8:32 AM | 9:08 AM | 9:57 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:33 PM | 11h 48m |
| April | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:08 PM | 9:58 PM | 10:37 PM | 14h 09m |
| May | 5:55 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:39 AM | 10:00 PM | 10:56 PM | 11:45 PM | 16h 13m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:13 AM | 10:35 PM | 11:37 PM | 12:37 AM | 17h 26m |
| July | 5:38 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:32 AM | 10:27 PM | 11:26 PM | 12:20 AM | 16h 54m |
| August | 6:44 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:19 AM | 9:37 PM | 10:29 PM | 11:12 PM | 15h 02m |
| September | 7:49 AM | 8:26 AM | 9:14 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:49 PM | 12h 46m |
| October | 8:47 AM | 9:24 AM | 10:15 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:31 PM | 10h 30m |
| November | 8:46 AM | 9:28 AM | 10:30 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:30 PM | 8h 21m |
| December | 9:29 AM | 10:15 AM | 11:31 AM | 4:06 PM | 5:22 PM | 6:08 PM | 7h 07m |
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 | — | 1° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| 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 | — | -9° | — |
| 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 88% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (93%). 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 | 43 | 42 | 43 | 45 | 49 | 54 | 59 | 60 | 58 | 52 | 49 | 46 |
| Low °F | 13 | 12 | 10 | 19 | 26 | 35 | 39 | 44 | 41 | 33 | 25 | 17 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
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
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Amak Volcano?
What time is golden hour at Amak Volcano?
Where does the sun rise and set at Amak Volcano?
Can you see the Milky Way from Amak Volcano?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Amak Volcano?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.