Mount Akutan is a volcano in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska. It sits roughly 13.7 km (8.5 mi) W of Akutan.
Mount Akutan, officially Akutan Peak, is a stratovolcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Akutan Peak, at 4,275 feet (1,303 m), is the highest point on the caldera of the Akutan stratovolcano. Akutan contains a 2 km-wide caldera formed during a major explosive eruption about 1600 years ago. Recent eruptive activity has originated from a large cinder cone on the NE part of the caldera. It has been the source of frequent explosive eruptions with occasional lava effusion that blankets the caldera floor. A lava flow in 1978 traveled through a narrow breach in the north caldera rim to within 2 km of the coast. A small lake occupies part of the caldera floor. Two volcanic centers are located on the NW flank: Lava Peak is of Pleistocene age; and, a cinder cone lower on the flank which produced a lava flow in 1852 that extended the shoreline of the island and forms Lava Point. An older,...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Akutan”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Akutan the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 46° (NE) at the June solstice and 131° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 315° (NW) in June to 229° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 59° in summer but only 12° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 9:07 AM | 89° E | 9:18 PM | 271° W | 36° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:31 AM | 46° NE | 11:42 PM | 315° NW | 59° | 17h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:51 AM | 89° E | 9:04 PM | 272° W | 36° | 12h 14m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:23 AM | 131° SE | 5:43 PM | 229° SW | 12° | 7h 21m |
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
Volcanic cones and lava fields have strong shapes that read well in side-light; dark basalt needs careful exposure.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:34 AM | 10:16 AM | 11:20 AM | 5:09 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:54 PM | 7h 57m |
| February | 8:48 AM | 9:25 AM | 10:17 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:50 PM | 9h 49m |
| March | 8:44 AM | 9:19 AM | 10:06 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:44 PM | 11h 49m |
| April | 7:25 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:18 PM | 10:06 PM | 10:44 PM | 14h 03m |
| May | 6:15 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:55 AM | 10:08 PM | 11:01 PM | 11:47 PM | 16h 00m |
| June | 5:36 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:31 AM | 10:40 PM | 11:40 PM | 12:34 AM | 17h 08m |
| July | 6:01 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:48 AM | 10:33 PM | 11:30 PM | 12:20 AM | 16h 38m |
| August | 7:02 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:33 AM | 9:46 PM | 10:36 PM | 11:17 PM | 14h 53m |
| September | 8:02 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:25 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:22 PM | 9:58 PM | 12h 44m |
| October | 8:57 AM | 9:33 AM | 10:22 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:44 PM | 10h 35m |
| November | 8:54 AM | 9:33 AM | 10:32 AM | 5:07 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:45 PM | 8h 32m |
| December | 9:35 AM | 10:19 AM | 11:29 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:26 PM | 7h 23m |
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 | — | 2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| June | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 88% average cloud cover) and April 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 | 42 | 43 | 43 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 59 | 58 | 52 | 49 | 45 |
| Low °F | 16 | 15 | 16 | 23 | 28 | 36 | 39 | 44 | 41 | 34 | 28 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
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 volcano
- Snow-capped volcanoes reflect alpenglow at sunrise — shoot from a lake or meadow for a reflection.
- Lava rock is sharp and unstable; stay on trails.
- Long lenses from 20–60 miles away make large stratovolcanoes dominate the horizon.
- Check local volcanic activity notices and area closures before visiting.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Summer for high trails; winter and spring for snowy cones viewed from below.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Tripod, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Akutan, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Akutan?
What time is golden hour at Mount Akutan?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Akutan?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Akutan?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Akutan?
How far is Mount Akutan from Akutan?
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.