Tispaquin Pond — a lake in Plymouth County, Massachusetts — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Middleborough, about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) away (Tispaquin Pond lies SE of town).
Tispaquin Pond is a 194-acre (0.79 km2) warm water pond in Middleborough, Massachusetts. The pond is in the Taunton River Watershed. The average depth of the pond is seven feet, and the maximum depth is eight feet. Transparency of the water is six feet. Shorts Brook and Woods Brook provide the inflow for the pond. The outflow is Fall Brook, a tributary of the Nemasket River. Camp Avoda and Camp Yomechas are located on the pond. Access to the southern shore of the pond is via Eldon Street off Rocky Gutter Street. An unpaved launch area is suitable for car top boats and canoes. It is a popular spot for recreational fishing, particularly for yellow perch and largemouth bass.From the Wikipedia article “Tispaquin Pond”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tispaquin 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) | 5:09 AM | 57° ENE | 8:23 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 14m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:31 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 122° ESE | 4:16 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 | 3:54 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:35 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:53 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:24 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 | 4:24 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:46 PM | 9h 09m |
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 Tispaquin 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 | 4:12 AM – 5:12 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:14 AM – 4:14 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 3:22 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:31 PM – 2:51 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:21 PM – 1:31 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:31 PM – 11:31 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:29 PM – 9:29 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 ≈ 19.52 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 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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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 Tispaquin Pond, closest first.
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LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tispaquin Pond?
What time is golden hour at Tispaquin Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tispaquin Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tispaquin Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tispaquin Pond?
How far is Tispaquin Pond from Middleborough?
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.