Located in Houghton County, Michigan, Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light is a lighthouse. It sits roughly 17.8 km (11.1 mi) SSE of Dollar Bay. Its recorded tower height is about 19 m (62 ft). It dates from 1919. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light, also known as the Portage Entry Light, is a lighthouse located at the south end of breakwater at mouth of the Portage River in Torch Lake Township. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.From the Wikipedia article “Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:58 AM | 90° E | 8:06 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:00 AM | 53° NE | 9:53 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:41 AM | 89° E | 7:53 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:37 AM | 125° SE | 5:08 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 31m |
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
Lighthouses work at both ends of the day: blue hour when the beacon is lit, and golden hour when white towers take on warm tones.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:01 AM | 8:36 AM | 9:25 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:06 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 7:28 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:42 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 7:37 AM | 8:08 AM | 8:48 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:30 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:14 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:43 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:04 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:23 PM | 9:59 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:46 AM | 9:04 PM | 9:51 PM | 10:31 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:01 AM | 9:00 PM | 9:46 PM | 10:24 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:40 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 7:02 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:12 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:38 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:42 AM | 8:12 AM | 8:54 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:39 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:25 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:45 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:54 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 7:58 AM | 8:34 AM | 9:25 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:41 PM | 8h 32m |
Local time (America/Detroit), 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 Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 6:22 AM – 6:22 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 4:15 AM – 5:05 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:22 AM – 3:52 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:47 AM – 2:57 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:22 AM – 1:52 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 11:09 PM – 11:49 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 41 | 49 | 75 | 78 | 89 | 89 | 96 | 95 | 90 | 80 | 69 | 56 |
| Low °F | -19 | -25 | -20 | 6 | 22 | 30 | 42 | 41 | 29 | 15 | 0 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
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 lighthouse
- Moonrise or the Milky Way over the tower makes a classic night composition; plan with the azimuth tables.
- During blue hour, use 5–15 second exposures to capture the beam; check whether the light is still active.
- Shoot from the beach or a jetty to place the tower against open sky and sea.
- Stormy weather and crashing surf add drama; keep a safe distance from waves on rocks and piers.
- A telephoto from across a bay compresses the tower against cliffs or the moon.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Summer brings open towers and tours; autumn and winter offer storms, fewer crowds and lower sun angles.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Telephoto lens, ND filter for smooth water, Rain cover. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
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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.