Located in Lincoln County, Maine, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden. It sits roughly 2.3 km (1.4 mi) W of Boothbay.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden in Boothbay, Maine. It was opened in 2007. The gardens have been named one of Maine's top attractions. Its gardens and landscape include nearly a mile of tidewater shoreline. After 16 years of planning, planting, and building, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens opened on June 13, 2007. This project began in 1991 when a group of Maine residents founded the grassroots organization. In 1996, after a thorough search for an appropriate site, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens purchased 128 acres (52 ha) of land with 3,600 feet (1,100 m) of tidal shore frontage in Boothbay. Today, as the largest botanical garden in New England, the gardens comprise 295 acres (119 ha), 17 of which are gardens featuring native plants of Maine and other plants suited to northern coastal conditions. Yearly, the gardens see on average 200,000 guests from...From the Wikipedia article “Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 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) | 4:57 AM | 56° NE | 8:25 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:26 AM | 89° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:11 AM | 123° ESE | 4:04 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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
Gardens are best on bright overcast days or early mornings when dew is fresh and the wind is calm.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:09 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:26 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:41 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 4:20 AM | 4:56 AM | 5:41 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:23 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 4:36 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:12 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:16 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:26 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:03 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:45 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:34 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:15 PM | 4:02 PM | 4:35 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 Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:32 AM – 5:12 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:28 AM – 4:08 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:03 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 2:29 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:35 PM – 1:05 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:07 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM | 0.5 | 13° | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.57 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 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 botanical garden
- Many gardens restrict tripods or charge for photography; check the rules before you go.
- Backlit petals glow; position yourself so the sun is behind the flower.
- Seasonal exhibits (orchids, tulips, cherry blossoms) draw crowds — arrive at opening.
- Kaleidoscopic and abstract images are great for flower close-ups — try the online kaleidoscope tool.
- A macro lens or close-up filter opens a world of detail — try a shallow aperture against a soft background.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Spring bulbs and blossoms, summer perennials and autumn color; glasshouses offer winter subjects.
Suggested gear: Macro lens, Diffuser, Small reflector. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, closest first.
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State Park
State ParkFAQ
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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.