Rollstone Boulder is a rock formation in Worcester County, Massachusetts.
The Rollstone Boulder is a ten-foot-tall, 110-ton porphyritic granite glacial erratic located on a traffic island in downtown Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The boulder was exploded at its original location at the summit of Rollstone Hill and then reassembled near Fitchburg's Upper Common in 1929 from the pieces.From the Wikipedia article “Rollstone Boulder”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rollstone Boulder 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° (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) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 57° ENE | 8:29 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:46 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 122° ESE | 4:17 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 03m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 17m |
| July | 4:50 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 00m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:22 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:48 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Rollstone Boulder, 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 | 4:28 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 4:20 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 3:21 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:42 PM – 2:52 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 1:31 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:28 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 9:25 PM | 0.8 | 15° | 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: 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 ≈ 18.71 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 rock formation
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Rollstone Boulder, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
State Park
State Park
Mountain Peak
State Park
Mountain Peak
National Wildlife Refuge
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rollstone Boulder?
What time is golden hour at Rollstone Boulder?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rollstone Boulder?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rollstone Boulder?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rollstone Boulder?
How far is Rollstone Boulder from Fitchburg?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.