Located in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Brooks Pond is a lake at about 202 m (663 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 5.1 km (3.2 mi) NE of North Brookfield.
Brooks Pond is a Massachusetts water body that is privately owned, controlled and managed, and bordered by the towns of North Brookfield, Oakham, Spencer, and New Braintree. It forms the headwaters of the Five Mile River, which is part of the Chicopee River Watershed.From the Wikipedia article “Brooks Pond (Massachusetts)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Brooks Pond the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 57° ENE | 8:29 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:36 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 122° ESE | 4:19 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 05m |
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 | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:39 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:01 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:49 PM | 9h 06m |
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 Brooks Pond, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:28 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 4:20 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:30 AM – 3:20 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:40 PM – 2:50 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:30 PM – 1:30 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:28 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 9:25 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.98 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 63 | 67 | 74 | 87 | 87 | 90 | 97 | 99 | 96 | 85 | 72 | 67 |
| Low °F | -22 | -19 | -13 | 12 | 27 | 36 | 48 | 47 | 36 | 18 | 2 | -13 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
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 lake
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Brooks Pond, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Lake
Covered Bridge
Waterfall
State Park
Botanical Garden
Lake
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Buffumville Lake (Group Shelter)23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Westville Recreation Area26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Brooks Pond?
What time is golden hour at Brooks Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Brooks Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Brooks Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Brooks Pond?
How far is Brooks Pond from North Brookfield?
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.