Y Covered Bridge No. 156 is a covered bridge in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It sits roughly 27 km (17 mi) WNW of Glen Lyon. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Y Covered Bridge No. 156 was a historic wooden covered bridge that was located in Sugarloaf Township in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it was destroyed in a suspicious fire on August 15, 1983.From the Wikipedia article “Y Covered Bridge No. 156”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Y Covered Bridge No. 156 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) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:18 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) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 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
Covered bridges look their best with soft side-light and a backdrop of fall color, snow or fresh spring green.
| 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 | 4:19 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 32m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 08m |
| July | 5:13 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 52m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:49 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 | 3:54 PM | 4:38 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 Y Covered Bridge No. 156, 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 ≈ 21.09 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 covered bridge
- Autumn foliage peaks are the most popular time — visit on weekdays to avoid crowds.
- Shoot from the stream bank to show the bridge, the water and its reflection together.
- Inside the bridge, the timber trusses make strong symmetrical compositions — use a tripod for long exposures.
- Many covered bridges still carry traffic; stay off the roadway and watch for vehicles.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Peak fall color is the classic season; winter snow and spring blossoms are less crowded alternatives.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Polarizer for foliage. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Y Covered Bridge No. 156, closest first.
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WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallFAQ
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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.