Onondaga Lake is a lake in Onondaga County, New York at about 110 m (361 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Liverpool, about 2.1 km (1.3 mi) away (Onondaga Lake lies SSE of town).
Onondaga Lake is located in Central New York, immediately northwest of and adjacent to Syracuse, New York. The southeastern end of the lake and the southwestern shore are industrial areas and expressways; the northeastern shore and northwestern end border a series of parks and museums. Onondaga Lake is a dimictic lake, meaning that the lake water completely mixes from top to bottom twice a year. The lake is 4.6 miles (7.4 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide making a surface area of 4.6 square miles (12 km2). The maximum depth of the lake is 63 feet (19 m) with an average depth of 35 feet (11 m). Its drainage basin has a surface area of 642 square kilometers (248 sq mi), encompassing Syracuse, Onondaga County except the eastern and northern edges, the southeastern corner of Cayuga County and the Onondaga Nation Territory, and supports approximately 450,000 people.From the Wikipedia article “Onondaga Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Onondaga Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) 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 70° in summer but only 23° 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) | 5:26 AM | 56° NE | 8:49 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 122° ESE | 4:33 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:17 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Onondaga 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:46 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:50 AM – 4:30 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:52 AM – 3:32 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 3:04 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 1:43 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:58 PM – 11:38 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:44 PM | 0.8 | 14° | 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.84 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 69% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (86%). 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 | 56 | 58 | 72 | 78 | 86 | 92 | 93 | 92 | 89 | 81 | 70 | 62 |
| Low °F | -6 | -11 | -4 | 17 | 31 | 40 | 49 | 51 | 40 | 28 | 12 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Onondaga Lake, closest first.
State Park
Lighthouse
State Park
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallFAQ
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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.