Bussey Lake is a lake in Clayton County, Iowa at about 186 m (610 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 2.6 km (1.6 mi) N of Guttenberg.
Bussey Lake is a backwater lake on the Iowa side of the Upper Mississippi River located about 2 miles (3.2 km) above Lock and Dam No. 10, at Guttenberg, Iowa. The lake is joined by many rivers and creeks such as Buck Creek. Measuring 213 acres (0.86 km2), it is part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.From the Wikipedia article “Bussey Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bussey Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 56° ENE | 8:47 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 122° ESE | 4:34 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 01m |
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 | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 19m |
| July | 5:06 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 03m |
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 Bussey Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:48 AM – 4:38 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:49 AM – 3:39 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:01 PM – 3:01 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:50 PM – 1:40 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 11:46 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 9:42 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.73 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 46% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 50 | 68 | 77 | 83 | 92 | 100 | 106 | 100 | 94 | 85 | 73 | 68 |
| Low °F | -33 | -16 | -18 | 10 | 26 | 40 | 47 | 44 | 33 | 23 | 2 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.8 |
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
- 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.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Bussey Lake, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
Ghost Town
State Park
State Park
Ghost TownFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bussey Lake?
What time is golden hour at Bussey Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bussey Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bussey Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bussey Lake?
How far is Bussey Lake from Guttenberg?
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.