Located in Newton County, Indiana, J C Murphey Lake is a lake at about 200 m (656 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Morocco, about 5.6 km (3.5 mi) away (J C Murphey Lake lies NW of town).
J. C. Murphey Lake is a reservoir in Newton County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area.From the Wikipedia article “J.C. Murphy Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At J C Murphey Lake 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 58° ENE | 8:26 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:38 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:12 AM | 121° ESE | 4:26 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 13m |
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
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 4:45 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 6:38 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 15m |
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 J C Murphey Lake, 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 | 5:07 AM – 5:07 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:19 AM – 5:29 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:28 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:15 AM – 3:35 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:32 PM – 3:02 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:23 PM – 1:43 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:34 PM – 11:44 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 9:45 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:42 PM – 7:42 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 ≈ 20.95 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 44% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 69 | 81 | 83 | 92 | 106 | 106 | 99 | 100 | 89 | 77 | 69 |
| Low °F | -21 | -16 | -6 | 20 | 27 | 36 | 47 | 45 | 36 | 21 | 10 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.6 |
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 lake
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of J C Murphey Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph J C Murphey Lake?
What time is golden hour at J C Murphey Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at J C Murphey Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from J C Murphey Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at J C Murphey Lake?
How far is J C Murphey Lake from Morocco?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.