East Side Lake is a lake in Mower County, Minnesota at about 362 m (1,188 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 1.8 km (1.1 mi) ENE of Austin.
East Side Lake is a 40 acres (16.19 ha) reservoir in Austin, Minnesota in western Mower County, which is in the southeast part of the state. It is one of two man-made lakes in Mower County (the other is Lake Louise), which is one of only four counties in Minnesota without a natural lake. The majority of the lake is only 5–6 feet deep.From the Wikipedia article “East Side Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At East Side Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:31 AM | 56° NE | 8:58 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:43 AM | 123° ESE | 4:38 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:28 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:00 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:14 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:54 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:10 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 57m |
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 East Side Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 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 6 (bright suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:04 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:00 AM – 4:40 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:04 AM – 3:34 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:19 PM – 2:59 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:06 PM – 1:46 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:09 PM – 11:39 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:02 PM – 9:42 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.21 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 49 | 61 | 77 | 83 | 92 | 96 | 102 | 99 | 92 | 82 | 73 | 63 |
| Low °F | -35 | -21 | -20 | 9 | 25 | 39 | 46 | 41 | 31 | 19 | 0 | -28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph East Side Lake?
What time is golden hour at East Side Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at East Side Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from East Side Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at East Side Lake?
How far is East Side Lake from Austin?
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.