Peck Ledge Light is a lighthouse in Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut. It sits roughly 4.0 km (2.5 mi) SE of East Norwalk. Its recorded tower height is about 16 m (52 ft). It dates from 1906. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Peck Ledge Light, also known as "Peck Ledge Lighthouse", is a sparkplug lighthouse in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, southeast of Norwalk Harbor and northeast of Goose Island among the Norwalk Islands on Long Island Sound. The lighthouse is about two miles (3 km) from Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk and can be seen from the beach. The cast-iron structure is still a working lighthouse operated by the United States Coast Guard and is not open to the public. The 54-foot-high (16 m) lighthouse is painted white with a brown band in the middle. Inside, the structure has three stories of living space along with a basement with cisterns for rainwater storage, all below a watchroom and lantern.From the Wikipedia article “Peck Ledge Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Peck 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 25° 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 | 25° | 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 | 4:07 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 29m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 07m |
| July | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 51m |
| August | 5:34 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 | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:12 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 54m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:12 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 Peck 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 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:10 AM – 5:10 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:22 AM – 5:32 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:21 AM – 4:31 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:18 AM – 3:38 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:35 PM – 3:05 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:26 PM – 1:46 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:47 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:48 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: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.33 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
- 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.
- Stormy weather and crashing surf add drama; keep a safe distance from waves on rocks and piers.
- A telephoto from across a bay compresses the tower against cliffs or the moon.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 South Norwalk, 4.4 km (2.7 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Peck Ledge Light, closest first.
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WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Peck Ledge Light?
What time is golden hour at Peck Ledge Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Peck Ledge Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Peck Ledge Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Peck Ledge Light?
How far is Peck Ledge Light from East Norwalk?
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.