Popham Beach — a beach in Sagadahoc County, Maine — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Phippsburg, about 8.7 km (5.4 mi) away (Popham Beach lies SSE of town).
Popham Beach is a sandy beach in Maine that extends southwest about three miles from Fort Popham, at the mouth of the Kennebec River, toward the mouth of the Morse River. It is near the site of the short-lived Popham Colony, founded in 1607 and abandoned the following year. The beach and the surrounding area are considered part of the town of Phippsburg in Sagadahoc County. At the southwestern end of the beach, access is granted via the popular Popham Beach State Park, administered by Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands. The northeastern end of the beach is accessed via paths around historic Fort Popham, a handful of private parking lots and pathways, as well as the Ocean View Campground situated near the boundary of the state park.From the Wikipedia article “Popham Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Popham Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (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) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:58 AM | 56° NE | 8:25 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:27 AM | 89° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:11 AM | 123° ESE | 4:05 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:09 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:27 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:42 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 4:57 AM | 5:41 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:59 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 4:37 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:54 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:13 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:16 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:26 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:03 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:46 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 6:34 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:03 PM | 4:36 PM | 8h 56m |
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 Popham Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), 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 | 4:31 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:07 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 3:01 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:46 PM – 2:26 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 1:13 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 11:06 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:30 PM – 9:10 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.37 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 49% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (73%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 53 | 50 | 55 | 57 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 74 | 71 | 65 | 62 | 57 |
| Low °F | 2 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 37 | 45 | 54 | 56 | 50 | 39 | 19 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 6.7 |
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 beach
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is Fort Popham, Hunniwell Point, 1.0 km (0.6 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Popham Beach, closest first.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
LighthouseLighthouseLighthouse
Lighthouse
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Popham Beach?
What time is golden hour at Popham Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Popham Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Popham Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Popham Beach?
How far is Popham Beach from Phippsburg?
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.