Halfmoon Lake — a lake in Belknap County, New Hampshire at about 198 m (650 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 6.7 km (4.2 mi) SW of New Durham.
Halfmoon Lake is a 283-acre (1.15 km2) water body located in Belknap County in central New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Barnstead and Alton. The pond is part of the Suncook River watershed, flowing south to the Merrimack River. The lake is classified as a warmwater fishery, with observed species including largemouth bass, chain pickerel, horned pout, and white perch.From the Wikipedia article “Halfmoon Lake (Barnstead, New Hampshire)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Halfmoon Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) 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 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:49 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 56° NE | 8:30 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 122° ESE | 4:12 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 57m |
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 | 8:00 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 41m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 23m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:59 PM | 15h 06m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:08 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:22 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 43m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:43 PM | 8h 59m |
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 Halfmoon Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:37 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:32 AM – 4:12 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:35 AM – 3:15 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 2:39 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:37 PM – 1:17 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 9:15 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 20.72 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 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 | 59 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 84 | 94 | 105 | 94 | 93 | 79 | 70 | 62 |
| Low °F | -23 | -23 | -19 | 13 | 28 | 37 | 49 | 44 | 35 | 20 | -3 | -17 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
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.
- 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 Halfmoon Lake, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
State Park
Lake
Lake
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Halfmoon Lake?
What time is golden hour at Halfmoon Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Halfmoon Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Halfmoon Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Halfmoon Lake?
How far is Halfmoon Lake from New Durham?
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.