Tanaga — a mountain peak in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska at about 1,795 m (5,889 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers.
Tanaga (Aleut: Kusuuginax̂) is a 5,924-foot (1,806 m) stratovolcano in the Aleutian Range of the U.S. state of Alaska. There have been three known eruptions since 1763. The most recent was in 1914 and produced lava flows. It sits west of another stratovolcano known as Mount Takawangha, which last erupted in 1550.From the Wikipedia article “Tanaga (volcano)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tanaga the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 49° (NE) at the June solstice and 129° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 312° (NW) in June to 231° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 62° in summer but only 15° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:55 AM | 89° E | 9:06 PM | 271° W | 38° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:34 AM | 49° NE | 11:16 PM | 312° NW | 62° | 16h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:40 AM | 89° E | 8:52 PM | 272° W | 38° | 12h 13m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:59 AM | 129° SE | 5:44 PM | 231° SW | 15° | 7h 46m |
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 | 9:15 AM | 9:54 AM | 10:52 AM | 5:14 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:51 PM | 8h 18m |
| February | 8:33 AM | 9:08 AM | 9:56 AM | 6:19 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 10h 00m |
| March | 8:34 AM | 9:07 AM | 9:52 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:31 PM | 11h 50m |
| April | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:42 AM | 9:05 PM | 9:50 PM | 10:26 PM | 13h 54m |
| May | 6:18 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:50 AM | 9:50 PM | 10:40 PM | 11:22 PM | 15h 40m |
| June | 5:45 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:28 AM | 10:20 PM | 11:14 PM | 12:03 AM | 16h 41m |
| July | 6:07 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:45 AM | 10:14 PM | 11:06 PM | 11:52 PM | 16h 14m |
| August | 7:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:25 AM | 9:31 PM | 10:18 PM | 10:56 PM | 14h 39m |
| September | 7:54 AM | 8:28 AM | 9:13 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:43 PM | 12h 40m |
| October | 8:44 AM | 9:18 AM | 10:05 AM | 7:13 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:34 PM | 10h 42m |
| November | 8:36 AM | 9:13 AM | 10:08 AM | 5:09 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:40 PM | 8h 50m |
| December | 9:14 AM | 9:55 AM | 10:57 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:23 PM | 7h 48m |
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 | — | -8° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| June | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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 7.0+ 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 80% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (97%). 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 | 45 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 48 | 53 | 56 | 54 | 54 | 50 | 46 |
| Low °F | 27 | 27 | 26 | 31 | 34 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 40 | 36 | 33 | 29 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.7 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Tanaga, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tanaga?
What time is golden hour at Tanaga?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tanaga?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tanaga?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tanaga?
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.