Greens Ledge Light — a lighthouse in Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 4.6 km (2.9 mi) SSE of Darien. Its recorded tower height is about 52 m (171 ft). It dates from 1902. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Greens Ledge Lighthouse (also known as Greens Ledge Light, or Rowayton Lighthouse) is a historic offshore lighthouse in the western Long Island Sound near Norwalk, Connecticut and Darien, Connecticut. It is one of 33 sparkplug lighthouses still in existence in the United States and remains an active aid to navigation. It sits in ten feet of water on the west end of Greens Ledge, a shallow underwater reef that runs a mile west of Sheffield Island and is roughly a mile south of the entrance to Five Mile River at Rowayton. Completed in 1902 by the Philadelphia Construction Company, the cast-iron structure is approximately 90 feet tall including roughly 15 feet of the submerged caisson. In 1933, more than 30,000 tons of rocks from the excavation of Radio City Music Hall were added to the riprap foundation. The light was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Greens Ledge...From the Wikipedia article “Greens Ledge Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Greens Ledge Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (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 72° 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) | 5:22 AM | 57° ENE | 8:30 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 121° ESE | 4:29 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 13m |
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
Lighthouses work at both ends of the day: blue hour when the beacon is lit, and golden hour when white towers take on warm tones.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 07m |
| July | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 51m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 54m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 14m |
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 Greens Ledge Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 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 | 5:11 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:33 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:32 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:19 AM – 3:39 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:36 PM – 3:06 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:27 PM – 1:47 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:48 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:49 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:46 PM – 7:46 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 ≈ 18.55 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 91 | 87 | 95 | 101 | 102 | 96 | 88 | 76 | 69 |
| Low °F | -16 | -15 | -8 | 18 | 30 | 38 | 49 | 50 | 37 | 21 | 6 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
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 lighthouse
- Many lighthouses are on private or Coast Guard property — check public access and opening hours.
- Moonrise or the Milky Way over the tower makes a classic night composition; plan with the azimuth tables.
- During blue hour, use 5–15 second exposures to capture the beam; check whether the light is still active.
- Shoot from the beach or a jetty to place the tower against open sky and sea.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Summer brings open towers and tours; autumn and winter offer storms, fewer crowds and lower sun angles.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Telephoto lens, ND filter for smooth water, Rain cover. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is Rowayton, Fivemile River, 2.6 km (1.6 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Greens Ledge Light, closest first.
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Lighthouse
Waterfall
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Beach
State Park
State Park
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Greens Ledge Light?
What time is golden hour at Greens Ledge Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Greens Ledge Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Greens Ledge Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Greens Ledge Light?
How far is Greens Ledge Light from Darien?
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.