Messalonskee Lake and Stream is a lake in Kennebec County, Maine at about 71 m (233 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 4.8 km (3.0 mi) NE of Belgrade.
Messalonskee Lake is a body of water in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. It is bordered by the towns of Oakland, Sidney, and Belgrade. The lake is a 9 miles (14 km) long, narrow, natural creation, resulting from continental collision and glacial scouring. A dam originally built in the town of Oakland in 1905 increased the lake's size. In the first part of the 20th century, Messalonskee Stream provided waterpower for Oakland's Cascade Woolen Mill, as well as for a number of factories responsible for Oakland's long-defunct title as "axehead capital of the world." Messalonskee Lake is home to a great variety of wildlife, including great blue herons, bass, yellow perch, white perch, sunfish, painted and snapping turtles, loons, and occasionally Bald Eagles can be seen soaring above the lake. The surrounding community has recently formed the Messalonskee Lake Association in the...From the Wikipedia article “Messalonskee Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Messalonskee Lake and Stream the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:55 AM | 55° NE | 8:28 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:27 AM | 89° E | 6:39 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 123° ESE | 4:03 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 50m |
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 | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:10 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:26 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 4:39 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 4:18 AM | 4:55 AM | 5:39 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 32m |
| July | 4:34 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 13m |
| August | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:18 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:21 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:25 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:26 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:05 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:20 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:45 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:13 PM | 4:01 PM | 4:34 PM | 8h 51m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Messalonskee Lake and Stream, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:32 AM – 5:12 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 4:00 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 2:56 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:54 PM – 2:24 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:40 PM – 1:00 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:40 PM – 11:00 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:31 PM – 9:01 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 20.89 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (67%). 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 | 55 | 51 | 75 | 78 | 84 | 90 | 93 | 96 | 97 | 81 | 67 | 63 |
| Low °F | -28 | -27 | -21 | 13 | 27 | 36 | 47 | 45 | 33 | 22 | 3 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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 Messalonskee Lake and Stream, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Messalonskee Lake and Stream?
What time is golden hour at Messalonskee Lake and Stream?
Where does the sun rise and set at Messalonskee Lake and Stream?
Can you see the Milky Way from Messalonskee Lake and Stream?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Messalonskee Lake and Stream?
How far is Messalonskee Lake and Stream from Belgrade?
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.