Located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, Sabine Pass Light is a lighthouse. The nearest town is Port Arthur, about 21 km (13 mi) away (Sabine Pass Light lies SSE of town). It dates from 1856. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sabine Pass Lighthouse, or Sabine Pass Light as it was referred to by the United States Coast Guard, is a historic lighthouse, as part of a gulf coast light station, on the Louisiana side of the Sabine River, in Cameron Parish, across from the community of Sabine Pass, Texas. It was first lit in 1857 and was deactivated by the Coast Guard in 1952. One of only three built in the United States of similar design, the light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Sabine Pass Lighthouse" on December 17, 1981. It is now abandoned but has long continued to be the subject of preservation efforts. The Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society – with interest because the lighthouse was once in Calcasieu Parish – has listed that the lighthouse may be the oldest brick structure still standing in Southwest Louisiana.From the Wikipedia article “Sabine Pass Lighthouse”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sabine Pass Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:20 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:16 AM | 62° ENE | 8:20 PM | 298° WNW | 84° | 14h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:07 AM | 117° ESE | 5:21 PM | 243° WSW | 37° | 10h 14m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 27m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 09m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:07 PM | 12h 53m |
| May | 5:57 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 38m |
| June | 5:48 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 03m |
| July | 5:59 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 52m |
| August | 6:19 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:25 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 14m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:10 PM | 11h 28m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 40m |
| December | 6:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 15m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Sabine Pass Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° 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 | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:35 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:43 AM – 6:03 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:45 AM – 5:15 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 11:42 PM – 4:52 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:54 PM – 4:34 AM | 6.7 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:51 PM – 3:11 AM | 5.3 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:23 PM – 1:03 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 11:02 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:05 PM – 9:05 PM | 1.0 | 20° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.37 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 70 | 71 | 76 | 84 | 87 | 92 | 91 | 93 | 92 | 86 | 81 | 72 |
| Low °F | 29 | 31 | 36 | 46 | 55 | 73 | 76 | 74 | 67 | 50 | 41 | 38 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.4 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 6.0 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
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.
- 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 Sabine Pass, 2.3 km (1.5 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sabine Pass Light, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sabine Pass Light?
What time is golden hour at Sabine Pass Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sabine Pass Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sabine Pass Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sabine Pass Light?
How far is Sabine Pass Light from Port Arthur?
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.