Flax Pond is a lake in Suffolk County, New York. The nearest town is East Setauket, about 3.7 km (2.3 mi) away (Flax Pond lies NW of town).
Flax Pond is a tidal estuary located in Old Field, New York, on the north shore of Long Island. As a 146-acre (0.59 km2) salt marsh, Flax Pond is a natural site of great biodiversity and natural beauty. Flax Pond is owned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and is accessed by researchers at Stony Brook University as a Marine Lab for the state In addition to research, Flax Pond also serves as a recreational beach for Long Islanders, though its location prevents many from utilizing the facility, which has served as a point of contention. The property is located on Shore Drive in East Setauket in the Town of Brookhaven. Users can park at the Flax Pond Marine Lab. A short accessible 0.3-mile trail leads from the parking area and into the wetland, following along a boardwalk across the water.[1] Flax Pond Marine Lab parking area (40.960778°N,...From the Wikipedia article “Flax Pond (New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Flax Pond the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (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 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:21 AM | 58° ENE | 8:29 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 121° ESE | 4:28 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 13m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:22 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 15m |
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 Flax Pond, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:10 AM – 5:10 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:22 AM – 5:32 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:21 AM – 4:31 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:18 AM – 3:38 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:35 PM – 3:05 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:26 PM – 1:46 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:47 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:48 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:45 PM – 7:45 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SW → SW |
| 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.7 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 48% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 60 | 58 | 63 | 77 | 80 | 87 | 94 | 90 | 86 | 84 | 69 | 64 |
| Low °F | 8 | 6 | 13 | 28 | 37 | 49 | 59 | 60 | 51 | 38 | 24 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 5.1 |
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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Flax Pond, closest first.
Lighthouse
Beach
State Park
Lighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
Lake
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Flax Pond?
What time is golden hour at Flax Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Flax Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Flax Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Flax Pond?
How far is Flax Pond from East Setauket?
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.