Little Quittacas Pond — a lake in Plymouth County, Massachusetts — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 7.6 km (4.7 mi) SSE of North Lakeville.
Little Quittacas Pond is a lake/reservoir/pond within the towns of Lakeville and Rochester, in southeastern Massachusetts. Little Quittacas is one of the five great ponds of Southeastern Massachusetts that includes Long Pond, Assawompset Pond. Pocksha Pond, Great Quittacas and Little Quittacas Ponds. It is the location of the New Bedford Water Works. These lakes provide a source of drinking water to the city of New Bedford, the largest city in southeastern Massachusetts. Snipatuit Pond is an outlier pond that flows into Buzzards Bay, via the Mattapoisett River and is connected to Great Quittacas through Snipituit Brook. The other great ponds drain into Narragansett Bay through the Taunton River. The five ponds are the largest natural fresh watersheds in Massachusetts.From the Wikipedia article “Little Quittacas Pond”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Little Quittacas 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 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) | 6:48 AM | 90° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 57° ENE | 8:23 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:32 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 122° ESE | 4:17 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 08m |
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 | 6:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:35 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:53 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:23 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:28 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:04 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:15 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:46 PM | 9h 10m |
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 Little Quittacas Pond, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 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 | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:14 AM – 5:14 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:23 AM – 3:23 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:32 PM – 2:52 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:22 PM – 1:32 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 11:32 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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 ≈ 19.77 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 50% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (69%). August 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 | 56 | 54 | 62 | 72 | 76 | 87 | 89 | 86 | 81 | 76 | 67 | 63 |
| Low °F | 2 | 1 | 13 | 29 | 39 | 49 | 58 | 60 | 51 | 38 | 22 | 12 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
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 lake
- 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.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- 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 Little Quittacas Pond, closest first.
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State Park
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LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Little Quittacas Pond?
What time is golden hour at Little Quittacas Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Little Quittacas Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Little Quittacas Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Little Quittacas Pond?
How far is Little Quittacas Pond from North Lakeville?
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.