Located in Monroe County, Florida, Sombrero Key Light is a lighthouse. It sits roughly 9.8 km (6.1 mi) SSW of Marathon. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sombrero Key Light is located offshore of Vaca Key in Marathon, Florida. The lighthouse is located on a mostly submerged reef. The name Sombrero Key goes back to the Spanish, and old charts show a small island at the spot, but by the later 19th Century the island had eroded, with some parts of the reef exposed at low tide. As a result, the reef and the lighthouse have also been called Dry Banks.From the Wikipedia article “Sombrero Key Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sombrero Key Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 64° (ENE) at the June solstice and 116° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 296° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 89° in summer but only 42° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:36 PM | 270° W | 65° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:37 AM | 64° ENE | 8:17 PM | 296° WNW | 89° | 13h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 66° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:05 AM | 116° ESE | 5:42 PM | 245° WSW | 42° | 10h 36m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:25 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 46m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 20m |
| March | 7:12 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:05 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:34 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 00m |
| April | 6:40 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 44m |
| May | 6:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 20m |
| June | 6:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 39m |
| July | 6:20 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 31m |
| August | 6:36 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 00m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 18m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:28 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 36m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 57m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 37m |
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 Sombrero Key Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 36° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| February | 4:26 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.2 | 23° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:29 AM – 6:09 AM | 2.7 | 32° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:35 AM – 5:35 AM | 4.0 | 36° | SE → S |
| May | 11:36 PM – 5:16 AM | 5.7 | 36° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:44 PM – 5:04 AM | 7.3 | 36° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:43 PM – 3:33 AM | 5.8 | 36° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:20 PM – 1:30 AM | 4.2 | 36° | S → SW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 11:36 PM | 2.8 | 33° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:14 PM – 9:34 PM | 1.3 | 24° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.53 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 37% average cloud cover) and September as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 80 | 80 | 82 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 89 | 88 | 86 | 84 | 81 |
| Low °F | 50 | 53 | 59 | 64 | 72 | 77 | 79 | 80 | 76 | 66 | 64 | 54 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 |
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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Sombrero Key, Hawk Channel, 135 m away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sombrero Key Light, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sombrero Key Light?
What time is golden hour at Sombrero Key Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sombrero Key Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sombrero Key Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sombrero Key Light?
How far is Sombrero Key Light from Marathon?
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.