Located in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, Selawik Lake is a lake.
Selawik Lake (Inupiaq: Imaġruk) is a lake located 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Selawik, Alaska. It is 31 miles (50 km) long. It is adjacent to the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge and the Baldwin Peninsula, feeding into the Hotham Inlet and Kotzebue Sound. Selawik Lake is the third largest lake in Alaska after Iliamna Lake and Becharof Lake, and seventeenth largest lake in the United States of America.From the Wikipedia article “Selawik Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At this latitude the sun does not rise or set on some days of the year, so check the monthly table below for daylight and twilight.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:43 AM | 88° E | 8:59 PM | 272° W | 23° | 12h 16m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | — | — | — | — | 47° | — |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:26 AM | 88° E | 8:47 PM | 273° W | 24° | 12h 20m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 12:34 PM | 165° SSE | 2:49 PM | 196° SSW | 0° | 2h 15m |
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 | 10:22 AM | 11:44 AM | — | — | 4:02 PM | 5:24 PM | 4h 17m |
| February | 8:54 AM | 9:51 AM | 11:23 AM | 4:32 PM | 6:04 PM | 7:01 PM | 8h 13m |
| March | 8:11 AM | 9:03 AM | 10:13 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:34 PM | 11h 40m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:13 AM | 9:14 PM | 10:27 PM | 11:30 PM | 15h 27m |
| May | — | 4:57 AM | 6:37 AM | 10:43 PM | 12:23 AM | — | 19h 26m |
| June | — | — | 5:45 AM | 11:44 PM | — | — | — |
| July | — | 4:07 AM | 6:15 AM | 11:23 PM | 1:32 AM | — | 21h 25m |
| August | 4:59 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:38 AM | 9:58 PM | 11:18 PM | 12:37 AM | 17h 00m |
| September | 7:10 AM | 8:03 AM | 9:12 AM | 8:05 PM | 9:14 PM | 10:08 PM | 13h 11m |
| October | 8:48 AM | 9:42 AM | 11:00 AM | 5:58 PM | 7:17 PM | 8:10 PM | 9h 35m |
| November | 9:27 AM | 10:37 AM | — | — | 4:20 PM | 5:30 PM | 5h 43m |
| December | 10:38 AM | 12:26 PM | — | — | 2:52 PM | 4:40 PM | 2h 26m |
Local time (America/Nome), 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
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -14° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | No darkness | — | — | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -16° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -13° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -15° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -22° | — |
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 0.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show January as the clearest month (about 58% average cloud cover) and October as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 48 | 70 | 77 | 80 | 75 | 62 | 55 | 35 | 35 |
| Low °F | -48 | -49 | -37 | -24 | -3 | 22 | 33 | 31 | 20 | -6 | -31 | -38 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
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 lake
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Selawik Lake?
What time is golden hour at Selawik Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Selawik Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Selawik Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Selawik 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.