Long Point is a ghost town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. It sits roughly 3.1 km (1.9 mi) SSE of Provincetown.
Long Point is a spit of land located in Provincetown, Massachusetts, at the extreme tip of Cape Cod, where the peninsula curls back in on itself to form Provincetown Harbor. The Long Point Light was built on this point in 1827. This lighthouse was adjacent to a fishing community that came to be known as Long Point, Massachusetts. This Provincetown village grew and thrived from 1818 until the late 1850s. When the settlers decided to leave Long Point, they took most of their houses with them – about 30 structures in all – by floating them across the harbor. During the Civil War, the military established a defensive coastal artillery post and garrison at this location. The Long Point Battery came to be known among the local residents as "Fort Useless" and "Fort Ridiculous". Today, nothing remains of the village of Long Point, except for the lighthouse and an earthen mound, the last...From the Wikipedia article “Long Point (Cape Cod)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Long Point 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:45 AM | 90° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:06 AM | 57° ENE | 8:21 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 15m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 89° E | 6:40 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:06 AM | 122° ESE | 4:13 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 07m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:36 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:17 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:15 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:32 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:31 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:53 PM | 15h 13m |
| July | 4:45 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 57m |
| August | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 5:53 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:58 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:01 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:13 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:51 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 6:31 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:48 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:42 PM | 9h 08m |
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 Long Point, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:13 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 3:22 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:31 PM – 2:51 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:21 PM – 1:31 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 8:28 PM – 9:28 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 20.51 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 August as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (70%). August 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 | 58 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 79 | 84 | 88 | 89 | 86 | 77 | 67 | 62 |
| Low °F | -1 | -1 | 8 | 27 | 37 | 46 | 55 | 56 | 49 | 36 | 18 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 5.0 |
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 ghost town
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Long Point, closest first.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Beach
LighthouseBeachBeachCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Highland Beach Suites, Unit 18.4 km (5.2 mi) · reservable
- Highland Beach Suites, Unit 28.4 km (5.2 mi) · reservable
- Highland Beach Suites, Unit 38.4 km (5.2 mi) · reservable
- Bay View House11.1 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
- Ocean View House19.6 km (12.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Long Point?
What time is golden hour at Long Point?
Where does the sun rise and set at Long Point?
Can you see the Milky Way from Long Point?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Long Point?
How far is Long Point from Provincetown?
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.