Sardis Lake is a lake in Panola County, Mississippi. The nearest town is Sardis, about 11.5 km (7.1 mi) away (Sardis Lake lies ESE of town).
Sardis Lake is a 98,520-acre (398.7 km2) reservoir on the Tallahatchie River in Lafayette, Panola, and Marshall counties, Mississippi. Sardis Lake is impounded by Sardis Dam, located nine miles (14 km) southeast of the town of Sardis. It is approximately an hour drive from Memphis, Tennessee. The dam is 15,300 feet (4,700 m) long, has an average height of 97 feet (30 m), and a maximum height of 117 feet (36 m).From the Wikipedia article “Sardis Lake (Mississippi)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sardis Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:48 AM | 61° ENE | 8:15 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:03 AM | 118° ESE | 4:54 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 51m |
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 | 6:39 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 06m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:20 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:30 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 57m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 27m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 14m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:10 AM | 4:20 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 23m |
| December | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 52m |
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 Sardis Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:37 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:51 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:49 AM – 4:49 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:53 PM – 4:13 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:59 PM – 3:59 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:55 PM – 2:35 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:20 PM – 12:30 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:32 PM – 10:32 PM | 2.0 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:49 PM – 8:29 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.49 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 73 | 76 | 83 | 88 | 98 | 108 | 105 | 109 | 102 | 102 | 87 | 77 |
| Low °F | 6 | 13 | 17 | 26 | 38 | 53 | 58 | 53 | 42 | 28 | 17 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.5 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 5.7 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Sardis Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Oak Grove (Ms)337 m · reservable
- Paradise Point367 m · reservable
- Big Acres599 m · reservable
- Oak Grove Campground938 m
- Outlet Channel (Sardis)1.1 km (0.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sardis Lake?
What time is golden hour at Sardis Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sardis Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sardis Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sardis Lake?
How far is Sardis Lake from Sardis?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.