Country Pond — a lake in Rockingham County, New Hampshire — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Newton, about 3.1 km (1.9 mi) away (Country Pond lies NW of town).
Country Pond is a 306-acre (124 ha) water body located in Rockingham County in southern New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Kingston and Newton. Water from Country Pond flows via the Powwow River to the Merrimack River in Amesbury, Massachusetts. The lake is classified as a warmwater fishery, with observed species including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, chain pickerel, brown bullhead, black crappie, white perch, American eel, bluegill, white sucker, and pumpkinseed.From the Wikipedia article “Country Pond”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Country Pond the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (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) | 6:49 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:06 AM | 56° ENE | 8:27 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 21m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:32 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 122° ESE | 4:13 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 01m |
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 | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 22m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 4:31 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 20m |
| July | 4:46 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:56 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:20 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:44 PM | 9h 02m |
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 Country Pond, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:15 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:29 AM – 4:09 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:43 PM – 2:43 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:22 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:17 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 9:23 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.34 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 51% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 64 | 65 | 75 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 98 | 100 | 97 | 86 | 72 | 67 |
| Low °F | -12 | -15 | -3 | 18 | 31 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 41 | 22 | 10 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 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
- 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 Country Pond, closest first.
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Lake
State Park
Lake
State Park
Waterfall
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Country Pond?
What time is golden hour at Country Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Country Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Country Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Country Pond?
How far is Country Pond from Newton?
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.