Lake Alan Henry is a lake in Garza County, Texas at about 658 m (2,159 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Post, about 34 km (21 mi) away (Lake Alan Henry lies ESE of town).
Lake Alan Henry is a reservoir situated in the upper Brazos River Basin in the United States. Created by the construction of the John T. Montford Dam in 1993, it is operated and used as a future tertiary water supply by the city of Lubbock, Texas and serves as a recreational spot for the region of West Texas. The surface area of the lake is 2,880 acres (1,170 ha) with a mean depth of 40 ft (12 m). Lake Alan Henry is located 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Justiceburg, Texas, and 45 miles (72 km) south of Lubbock.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Alan Henry”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Alan Henry the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:49 AM | 90° E | 7:56 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:37 AM | 61° ENE | 8:57 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:33 AM | 89° E | 7:42 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 118° ESE | 5:42 PM | 242° WSW | 34° | 9h 58m |
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 | 7:21 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:25 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 12m |
| February | 7:03 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:28 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:17 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 6:18 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:05 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:19 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 19m |
| July | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:19 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 08m |
| August | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 7:04 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:01 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:22 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:37 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:50 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 28m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:18 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:07 PM | 9h 59m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Lake Alan Henry, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 6:03 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:25 AM – 6:25 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:21 AM – 5:41 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 5:02 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:37 PM – 4:47 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 3:23 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:01 PM – 1:21 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 9:15 PM – 11:15 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:34 PM – 9:24 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (47%). 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 | 82 | 89 | 94 | 105 | 107 | 115 | 113 | 112 | 105 | 99 | 89 | 80 |
| Low °F | 10 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 35 | 52 | 58 | 55 | 46 | 22 | 17 | 12 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Lake Alan Henry, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Alan Henry?
What time is golden hour at Lake Alan Henry?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Alan Henry?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Alan Henry?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Alan Henry?
How far is Lake Alan Henry from Post?
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.