Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower is a fire lookout in Perry County, Pennsylvania. Its recorded tower height is about 110 m (361 ft). It dates from 1940.
Wikidata describes it as: “fire lookout tower in Pennsylvania”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 58° ENE | 8:42 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 121° ESE | 4:45 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 17m |
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 | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 36m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 25m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 02m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 47m |
| August | 5:51 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 57m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 18m |
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 Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | 5:25 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:36 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:35 AM – 4:45 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:30 AM – 3:50 AM | 3.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:46 PM – 3:26 AM | 4.7 | 21° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:37 PM – 2:07 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 12:00 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 10:02 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:00 PM – 8:00 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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 ≈ 20.74 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 65 | 73 | 78 | 87 | 92 | 95 | 101 | 100 | 96 | 92 | 77 | 72 |
| Low °F | -10 | -14 | -1 | 20 | 27 | 39 | 49 | 48 | 36 | 21 | 5 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 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 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower, closest first.
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Covered Bridge
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State Park
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Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower?
How far is Duncannon Forest Fire Lookout Tower from Duncannon?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata. 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.