Cedar Beach — a beach in Suffolk County, New York — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Lindenhurst, about 6.9 km (4.3 mi) away (Cedar Beach lies SSE of town).
Cedar Beach is a public recreational beach of the Town of Babylon, in Suffolk County, New York. It is located on Jones Beach Island, a barrier island off of Long Island, between the populated places of Gilgo and Oak Beach. There are no residents. The beach is open to town residents and the general public during the summer season. During this time, lifeguards are on duty on weekdays, weekends, and holidays. There are also limited preseason hours beginning Memorial Day weekend. Access to the beach is via Ocean Parkway. Free parking is available for town residents with recreation permits. Non-residents and residents without permits may pay a daily fee to park ($20 Monday through Thursday; $40 Friday through Sunday and holidays).From the Wikipedia article “Cedar Beach (Babylon, New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cedar Beach 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 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 58° ENE | 8:28 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:14 AM | 121° ESE | 4:30 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 16m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 35m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 26m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 04m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 48m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 56m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 17m |
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 Cedar Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 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 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:31 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:21 AM – 4:31 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:16 AM – 3:36 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:33 PM – 3:13 AM | 4.7 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 1:44 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 11:46 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:47 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 ≈ 18.68 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 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 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.
- 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 Oak Beach, 4.0 km (2.5 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Cedar Beach, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Beach
LighthouseBeach
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cedar Beach?
What time is golden hour at Cedar Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cedar Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cedar Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cedar Beach?
How far is Cedar Beach from Lindenhurst?
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.