O'Brien is a ghost town in King County, Washington. It sits roughly 3.5 km (2.2 mi) N of Kent.
O'Brien, Washington was a former community, north of Kent in the Green River Valley of King County in the U.S. state of Washington. It was just north of today's Green River Natural Resources Area, on the right bank of the river. At one time, it had a post office and a school. The community was named after Terrance O'Brien, the original owner of the town site.From the Wikipedia article “O'Brien, Washington”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At O'Brien the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 53° NE | 9:10 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 125° SE | 4:21 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:20 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 4:32 AM | 5:12 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:50 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 29m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 O'Brien, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 8 (city sky), 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:42 AM – 3:02 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:13 AM – 2:03 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:44 PM – 1:04 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:56 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.21 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 July as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (80%). August is the warmest month and December 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 | 63 | 71 | 87 | 90 | 93 | 100 | 91 | 91 | 79 | 71 | 60 |
| Low °F | 13 | 15 | 25 | 29 | 31 | 40 | 46 | 46 | 39 | 28 | 16 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.7 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 4.8 | 7.5 | 6.8 |
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
- 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.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 O'Brien, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Lake
State Park
Lake
Botanical Garden
Lake
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph O'Brien?
What time is golden hour at O'Brien?
Where does the sun rise and set at O'Brien?
Can you see the Milky Way from O'Brien?
Do you need a permit to photograph at O'Brien?
How far is O'Brien from Kent?
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.