Lake Jean — a lake in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania at about 676 m (2,218 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Harveys Lake, about 23 km (14 mi) away (Lake Jean lies WSW of town).
Lake Jean is a lake in Luzerne County and Sullivan County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It has a surface area of approximately 245 acres (99 ha) and is situated in Colley Township, Sullivan County and Fairmount Township, Luzerne County. The lake's main inflow is the outlet of Ganoga Lake. Lake Jean is fairly shallow, with an average depth of 5.9 feet (1.8 m). It is in the watershed of Fishing Creek. The main rock formations in the lake's watershed include Burgoon Sandstone and the Mauch Chunk Formation. The lake is dammed by the Lake Jean Dam and is owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Jean”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Jean the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 57° ENE | 8:43 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 121° ESE | 4:40 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 11m |
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 | 6:59 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 09m |
| July | 5:13 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 13m |
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 Lake Jean, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:22 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:34 AM – 4:44 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 3:51 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 3:19 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:59 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 11:50 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 9:50 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:57 PM – 7:57 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.05 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 62 | 69 | 73 | 84 | 95 | 90 | 103 | 98 | 94 | 85 | 73 | 66 |
| Low °F | -15 | -15 | -12 | 17 | 25 | 37 | 44 | 45 | 34 | 22 | 1 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
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.
- 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 Lake Jean, closest first.
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When is the best time to photograph Lake Jean?
What time is golden hour at Lake Jean?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Jean?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Jean?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Jean?
How far is Lake Jean from Harveys Lake?
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.