Located in Perry County, Missouri, Tower Rock is a rock formation. It sits roughly 22 km (13 mi) SW of Murphysboro. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tower Rock, also known as Grand Tower, is a rock formation and landmark island in the Mississippi River, in Brazeau Township, Perry County, Missouri, near the town of Wittenberg, Missouri, and across the river from Grand Tower, Illinois. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Tower Rock has also been dubbed with many names over the centuries: Cap de Roche, Cap St. Croix la Tour, La Roche de la Croix, Rock of St. Cosme, Castle Rock, and Devil's Tower. The earliest mention by Europeans of this island is by French missionary Jacques Marquette in 1673:From the Wikipedia article “Tower Rock”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tower Rock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 59° ENE | 8:24 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 46m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 120° ESE | 4:44 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 33m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:44 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 51m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:25 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:20 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 12m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 45m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 31m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:49 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:17 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:16 PM | 10h 10m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 35m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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
From Tower Rock, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:56 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:03 AM – 5:33 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:07 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:06 AM – 3:56 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:17 PM – 3:37 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:10 PM – 2:10 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:30 PM – 12:10 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:36 PM – 10:06 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:49 PM – 8:09 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.58 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 71 | 73 | 79 | 85 | 89 | 108 | 108 | 105 | 100 | 92 | 80 | 72 |
| Low °F | -2 | -2 | 6 | 22 | 35 | 45 | 53 | 50 | 40 | 25 | 13 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 |
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 rock formation
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Tower Rock, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Natural ArchNatural Arch
State Park
State Park
State ParkFire LookoutFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tower Rock?
What time is golden hour at Tower Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tower Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tower Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tower Rock?
How far is Tower Rock from Murphysboro?
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.