Lake Ibsen is a lake in Benson County, North Dakota at about 454 m (1,490 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 29 km (18 mi) SSW of Cando.
Lake Ibsen is a small lake near Leeds in Benson County, North Dakota. The stream Little Coulee flows from Hurricane Lake, through Lake Ibsen, to Silver Lake. Lake Ibsen got its name from Norwegian settlers in the 1850s who named it after Henrik Ibsen. The Lake Ibson township is located nearby.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Ibsen”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Ibsen the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:41 AM | 89° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 52° NE | 9:43 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:25 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:27 AM | 126° SE | 4:46 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 20m |
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 | 7:49 AM | 8:24 AM | 9:15 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:46 PM | 8h 47m |
| February | 7:13 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:30 AM | 5:15 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:32 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 12m |
| June | 4:56 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:52 PM | 9:41 PM | 10:22 PM | 16h 04m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:47 PM | 9:35 PM | 10:15 PM | 15h 42m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 21m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:24 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:40 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:22 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:12 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:46 AM | 8:23 AM | 9:17 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:21 PM | 8h 22m |
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 Lake Ibsen, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 4:15 AM – 4:45 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:19 AM – 3:19 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 1:04 AM – 2:04 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 12:25 AM – 1:15 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 11:01 PM – 11:21 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and November 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 | 47 | 51 | 77 | 82 | 90 | 101 | 103 | 102 | 100 | 83 | 67 | 47 |
| Low °F | -47 | -35 | -33 | 1 | 15 | 37 | 44 | 37 | 26 | 11 | -13 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Lake Ibsen, closest first.
National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Ibsen?
What time is golden hour at Lake Ibsen?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Ibsen?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Ibsen?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Ibsen?
How far is Lake Ibsen from Cando?
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.