Located in Scott County, Mississippi, Moore Lookout Tower is a fire lookout. It is part of Bienville National Forest. It sits roughly 5.4 km (3.4 mi) SSW of Forest. Its recorded tower height is about 100 m (328 ft). It dates from 1940. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Moore Lookout Tower is a historic fire lookout tower located on Scott County Road 503 in Forest, Scott County, Mississippi. Built in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the tower is a rare example of its type and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.From the Wikipedia article “Moore Lookout Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Moore Lookout Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:52 AM | 61° ENE | 8:09 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:56 AM | 118° ESE | 4:58 PM | 243° WSW | 34° | 10h 02m |
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
Lookouts are built for 360° views, so sunrise and sunset are both options — use the azimuths to decide which view you want.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 16m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:10 PM | 11h 03m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:04 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 58m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 49m |
| June | 5:23 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 16m |
| July | 5:35 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 04m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 21m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 6:02 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 4:24 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:25 PM | 10h 31m |
| December | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 03m |
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 Moore Lookout Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 29° 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 | 4:27 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:38 AM – 5:38 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:33 AM – 4:53 AM | 3.3 | 29° | SE → S |
| May | 11:33 PM – 4:23 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:48 PM – 4:08 AM | 6.3 | 29° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:44 PM – 2:44 AM | 5.0 | 29° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:13 PM – 12:43 AM | 3.5 | 29° | S → SW |
| September | 8:28 PM – 10:38 PM | 2.2 | 26° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 8:38 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.17 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 76 | 81 | 85 | 89 | 101 | 107 | 105 | 108 | 104 | 102 | 90 | 80 |
| Low °F | 12 | 20 | 18 | 31 | 39 | 53 | 59 | 53 | 43 | 31 | 17 | 19 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 6.2 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 5.4 |
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 fire lookout
- Shoot the tower itself against the Milky Way or star trails on clear, moonless nights.
- Haze from wildfire smoke can turn the sun deep red but reduce visibility; check air quality.
- Access roads may be rough or seasonal.
- Some lookouts can be rented overnight through recreation.gov, which puts you on site for both sunset and sunrise.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Summer and early autumn; many towers are staffed only during fire season.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Warm layers. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Moore Lookout Tower, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Moore Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Moore Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Moore Lookout Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Moore Lookout Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Moore Lookout Tower?
How far is Moore Lookout Tower from Forest?
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.