Located in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, Mount Okmok is a mountain peak.
Mount Okmok is a volcano on eastern Umnak Island, in the central-eastern Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Part of the Aleutian Volcanic Arc, it was formed by the subduction of the oceanic Pacific Plate under the North American Plate. Okmok is a large shield volcano capped by a 10-kilometer (6.2 mi) wide caldera. The caldera contains numerous cinder cones, their lava flows, and a few lakes. Okmok erupts mainly basaltic lava, mostly from the cones within the caldera. Activity began in the Pleistocene. Two large caldera-forming eruptions took place during the Holocene, with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) of 6; the second of these occurred in 43 BCE and caused a volcanic winter that might have changed the history of Egypt. After this second caldera-forming eruption a crater lake formed in the caldera, and drained in one of the largest known floods of the Holocene. Okmok is one of the most...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Okmok”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Okmok the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 47° (NE) at the June solstice and 131° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 314° (NW) in June to 230° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 60° in summer but only 13° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 9:15 AM | 89° E | 9:26 PM | 271° W | 37° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:44 AM | 47° NE | 11:46 PM | 314° NW | 60° | 17h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:59 AM | 89° E | 9:13 PM | 272° W | 37° | 12h 13m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:27 AM | 131° SE | 5:56 PM | 230° SW | 13° | 7h 29m |
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 | 9:40 AM | 10:21 AM | 11:23 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:24 PM | 7:05 PM | 8h 04m |
| February | 8:55 AM | 9:32 AM | 10:22 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:24 PM | 8:00 PM | 9h 52m |
| March | 8:53 AM | 9:28 AM | 10:14 AM | 8:31 PM | 9:17 PM | 9:52 PM | 11h 49m |
| April | 7:36 AM | 8:13 AM | 9:00 AM | 9:26 PM | 10:13 PM | 10:51 PM | 14h 00m |
| May | 6:28 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:05 AM | 10:14 PM | 11:07 PM | 11:51 PM | 15h 54m |
| June | 5:52 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:42 AM | 10:46 PM | 11:44 PM | 12:36 AM | 16h 59m |
| July | 6:15 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:59 AM | 10:39 PM | 11:34 PM | 12:23 AM | 16h 31m |
| August | 7:14 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:42 AM | 9:53 PM | 10:42 PM | 11:22 PM | 14h 49m |
| September | 8:12 AM | 8:47 AM | 9:33 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:05 PM | 12h 43m |
| October | 9:05 AM | 9:40 AM | 10:29 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:53 PM | 10h 37m |
| November | 9:00 AM | 9:39 AM | 10:37 AM | 5:20 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 8h 38m |
| December | 9:40 AM | 10:23 AM | 11:30 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:37 PM | 7h 31m |
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 | — | -8° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| June | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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 5.5+ 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 90% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (97%). 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 | 44 | 43 | 45 | 46 | 51 | 58 | 58 | 55 | 52 | 48 | 44 |
| Low °F | 21 | 21 | 20 | 25 | 28 | 38 | 39 | 43 | 41 | 36 | 30 | 25 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
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
- 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.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Okmok?
What time is golden hour at Mount Okmok?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Okmok?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Okmok?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Okmok?
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.