Andrew Lake is a lake in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska.
Andrew Lake is a lake on Adak Island, part of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. It is a part of the Adak Naval Air Station and lies between Mount Adagdak and Mount Moffett. The lake is separated from the Bering Sea by a seawall.From the Wikipedia article “Andrew Lake (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Andrew Lake 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 61° in summer but only 15° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:49 AM | 89° E | 9:00 PM | 271° W | 38° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:28 AM | 49° NE | 11:11 PM | 312° NW | 61° | 16h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:34 AM | 89° E | 8:46 PM | 272° W | 38° | 12h 13m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:53 AM | 129° SE | 5:38 PM | 231° SW | 15° | 7h 45m |
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
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:09 AM | 9:48 AM | 10:46 AM | 5:07 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:44 PM | 8h 18m |
| February | 8:27 AM | 9:02 AM | 9:51 AM | 6:13 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:36 PM | 9h 59m |
| March | 8:28 AM | 9:01 AM | 9:46 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:25 PM | 11h 50m |
| April | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:36 AM | 8:59 PM | 9:44 PM | 10:20 PM | 13h 54m |
| May | 6:11 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:44 AM | 9:44 PM | 10:34 PM | 11:16 PM | 15h 41m |
| June | 5:39 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:22 AM | 10:14 PM | 11:09 PM | 11:57 PM | 16h 42m |
| July | 6:00 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:38 AM | 10:08 PM | 11:01 PM | 11:46 PM | 16h 15m |
| August | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:19 AM | 9:25 PM | 10:12 PM | 10:50 PM | 14h 40m |
| September | 7:48 AM | 8:22 AM | 9:07 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:37 PM | 12h 41m |
| October | 8:38 AM | 9:12 AM | 9:59 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:28 PM | 10h 42m |
| November | 8:30 AM | 9:07 AM | 10:02 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:34 PM | 8h 49m |
| December | 9:08 AM | 9:49 AM | 10:52 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:17 PM | 7h 47m |
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 79% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (95%). 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 | 45 | 45 | 43 | 45 | 46 | 50 | 54 | 57 | 56 | 54 | 49 | 46 |
| Low °F | 27 | 26 | 26 | 31 | 32 | 38 | 41 | 44 | 42 | 37 | 33 | 28 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
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 lake
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Andrew Lake, closest first.
Hot SpringHot Spring
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakScenic Viewpoint
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Andrew Lake?
What time is golden hour at Andrew Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Andrew Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Andrew Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Andrew Lake?
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.