Lake Lemon — a lake in Monroe County, Indiana at about 189 m (620 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Nashville, about 13.7 km (8.5 mi) away (Lake Lemon lies WNW of town).
Lake Lemon is a reservoir located in southern Indiana approximately 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bloomington, Indiana. It is bounded by private and public property in Monroe County and Brown County, with the eastern end of the lake in Brown County. The surface area of the lake is 1,650 acres (670 ha), making it the 11th largest lake in Indiana. There are 24 miles (39 km) of shoreline. The lake has an average depth of 9.7 feet (3.0 m) at full pool level. The greatest depth is somewhat in excess of 20 feet (6.1 m), matching with the original Bean Blossom Creek bed.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Lemon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Lemon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:50 AM | 90° E | 7:58 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:20 AM | 58° ENE | 9:16 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 56m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:34 AM | 89° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:02 AM | 120° ESE | 5:26 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 24m |
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 | 7:35 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:45 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:16 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 7:11 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:20 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 6:03 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:14 PM | 9:47 PM | 14h 55m |
| July | 6:01 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:44 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:11 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:29 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:32 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 7:01 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 7:29 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:54 PM | 9h 25m |
Local time (America/Indiana/Indianapolis), 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 Lake Lemon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:53 AM – 6:03 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 5:02 AM – 6:22 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:59 AM – 5:29 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 1:01 AM – 4:41 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 11:15 PM – 4:15 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 11:07 PM – 2:47 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 12:53 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 9:27 PM – 10:47 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:38 PM – 8:48 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.84 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 September as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 65 | 72 | 81 | 82 | 88 | 105 | 105 | 100 | 99 | 92 | 78 | 69 |
| Low °F | -18 | -11 | 4 | 23 | 28 | 39 | 47 | 48 | 36 | 25 | 10 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Lake Lemon, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Mountain Peak
State Park
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Lemon?
What time is golden hour at Lake Lemon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Lemon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Lemon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Lemon?
How far is Lake Lemon from Nashville?
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.