Located in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, Mount Carlisle is a mountain peak.
Mount Carlisle is a stratovolcano in Alaska which forms part of the 5 mile (8 km) wide Carlisle Island, one of the Islands of Four Mountains which, in turn, form part of the central Aleutian Islands. Despite its modest summit elevation, a small glacier exists high on the western slopes just below the rim of the summit crater. A few historical eruptions of Carlisle have been recorded, but its proximity to several other neighboring volcanoes means that there has been some confusion in the older records as to which of the volcanoes was erupting. As the area is extremely remote, distant observations of volcanic plumes cannot be verified for certain. It is 1.9 miles (3.1 km) across the Carlisle Pass from Chuginadak Island and is 5.6 miles (9.0 km) northeast of Herbert Island. Carlisle Island has as diameter of 4.3 miles (6.9 km).From the Wikipedia article “Mount Carlisle”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Carlisle the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 47° (NE) at the June solstice and 130° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 313° (NW) in June to 230° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 61° in summer but only 14° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:23 AM | 89° E | 8:34 PM | 271° W | 37° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 47° NE | 10:50 PM | 313° NW | 61° | 16h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:07 AM | 89° E | 8:20 PM | 272° W | 37° | 12h 13m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:32 AM | 130° SE | 5:07 PM | 230° SW | 14° | 7h 35m |
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 | 8:46 AM | 9:26 AM | 10:26 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:15 PM | 8h 09m |
| February | 8:02 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:28 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:08 PM | 9h 55m |
| March | 8:01 AM | 8:35 AM | 9:21 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:59 PM | 11h 50m |
| April | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:08 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:20 PM | 9:57 PM | 13h 58m |
| May | 5:39 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:15 AM | 9:20 PM | 10:12 PM | 10:56 PM | 15h 49m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:52 AM | 9:51 PM | 10:48 PM | 11:39 PM | 16h 53m |
| July | 5:27 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:09 AM | 9:45 PM | 10:39 PM | 11:26 PM | 16h 25m |
| August | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:51 AM | 9:00 PM | 9:48 PM | 10:27 PM | 14h 45m |
| September | 7:21 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:41 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:12 PM | 12h 42m |
| October | 8:12 AM | 8:47 AM | 9:35 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:26 PM | 8:01 PM | 10h 39m |
| November | 8:06 AM | 8:45 AM | 9:41 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:27 PM | 6:05 PM | 8h 42m |
| December | 8:46 AM | 9:28 AM | 10:33 AM | 3:59 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:47 PM | 7h 37m |
Local time (America/Adak), 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 | — | -7° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| June | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| 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 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 89% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (98%). August 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 | 44 | 44 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 48 | 56 | 56 | 55 | 53 | 49 | 45 |
| Low °F | 24 | 24 | 23 | 29 | 28 | 38 | 40 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 32 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 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 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 Mount Carlisle, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Carlisle?
What time is golden hour at Mount Carlisle?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Carlisle?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Carlisle?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Carlisle?
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.