Nobscot Hill is a mountain peak in Middlesex County, Massachusetts at about 183 m (600 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Sudbury, about 5.0 km (3.1 mi) away (Nobscot Hill lies SSW of town).
Nobscot Hill is a USGS name for a high point in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with many public hiking trails, and it is located in Framingham and Sudbury. At the summit are various radio towers and a fire tower. Below the summit of Nobscot Hill is the Nobscot Scout Reservation (452 acres), which includes Tippling Rock, a popular viewing location. Surrounding the hill are other large parks and parcels of conservation land, including the Nobscot Conservation Land (118 acres), Callahan State Park (958 acres), the Sudbury Weisblatt Conservation Land, and Wittenborg Woods (83 acres), which are connected by various hiking trails, including the Bay Circuit Trail.From the Wikipedia article “Nobscot Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Nobscot Hill 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 304° (WNW) 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) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 57° ENE | 8:27 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:12 AM | 122° ESE | 4:17 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 04m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| 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 | 3:55 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 16m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 06m |
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 Nobscot Hill, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 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 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:26 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:18 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 3:18 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:38 PM – 2:48 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:28 PM – 1:28 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 9:23 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 18.65 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 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 mountain peak
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Nobscot Hill, closest first.
Botanical Garden
State Park
Lake
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
Lake
State Park
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Nobscot Hill?
What time is golden hour at Nobscot Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Nobscot Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Nobscot Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Nobscot Hill?
How far is Nobscot Hill from Sudbury?
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.