Lake Monona is a lake in Dane County, Wisconsin at about 257 m (843 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Monona, about 2.3 km (1.4 mi) away (Lake Monona lies W of town).
Lake Monona ( mih-NOH-nə) is a freshwater drainage lake in Dane County, Wisconsin, surrounded on three sides by the city of Madison, Wisconsin, and on the south east side by the city of Monona, Wisconsin. It is the second-largest of a chain of four lakes along the Yahara River (also including Mendota, Kegonsa, and Waubesa) in the area and forms the south shore of the isthmus that forms downtown Madison. The name 'Monona' is a word believed to mean 'beautiful', although the lake was originally named by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) 'Tchee-ho-bo-kee-xa-te-la' or 'Teepee Lake'.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Monona”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Monona the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) 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) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 56° ENE | 8:41 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 122° ESE | 4:26 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 9h 00m |
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 | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Monona, 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 | 4:38 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:42 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:44 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:56 PM – 2:56 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:45 PM – 1:35 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 11:30 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:36 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 ≈ 18.57 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 48% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). 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 | 65 | 78 | 81 | 91 | 97 | 104 | 98 | 94 | 85 | 72 | 63 |
| Low °F | -43 | -25 | -19 | 10 | 26 | 39 | 46 | 42 | 33 | 19 | 2 | -25 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Lake Monona, closest first.
Botanical Garden
State Park
Lake
Botanical Garden
Lake
Lake
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Monona?
What time is golden hour at Lake Monona?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Monona?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Monona?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Monona?
How far is Lake Monona from Monona?
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.