Located in Venango County, Pennsylvania, Pithole is a ghost town. The nearest town is Hasson Heights, about 11.5 km (7.1 mi) away (Pithole lies NE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pithole, or Pithole City, is a ghost town in Cornplanter Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States, about 6 miles (9.7 km) from Oil Creek State Park and the Drake Well Museum, the site of the first commercial oil well in the United States. Pithole's sudden growth and equally rapid decline, as well as its status as a "proving ground" of sorts for the burgeoning petroleum industry, made it one of the most famous of oil boomtowns.From the Wikipedia article “Pithole, Pennsylvania”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pithole 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) | 7:23 AM | 90° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:45 AM | 57° ENE | 8:56 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 121° ESE | 4:52 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:13 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 5:25 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 54m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:32 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:39 PM | 7:07 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 11m |
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 Pithole, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:47 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:48 AM – 4:48 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:46 AM – 3:56 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 3:34 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:54 PM – 2:04 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 12:04 AM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 9:04 PM – 10:04 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:11 PM – 8:11 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.47 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 September as the clearest month (about 55% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 60 | 67 | 76 | 79 | 86 | 91 | 95 | 97 | 94 | 87 | 73 | 66 |
| Low °F | -13 | -13 | -2 | 16 | 23 | 36 | 44 | 44 | 36 | 22 | 2 | -3 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
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 ghost town
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Pithole, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Tionesta Rec. Area Campground11.9 km (7.4 mi) · reservable
- Outflow Recreation Area (Pa)12.5 km (7.8 mi) · reservable
- Kellettville Recreation Area (Pa)27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pithole?
What time is golden hour at Pithole?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pithole?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pithole?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pithole?
How far is Pithole from Hasson Heights?
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.