Whitehead Light — a lighthouse in Knox County, Maine — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 7.3 km (4.5 mi) SE of Saint George. Its recorded tower height is about 12 m (39 ft). It dates from 1804. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Whitehead Light is a lighthouse on Whitehead Island, on Muscle Ridge Channel, in the southwestern entrance to Penobscot Bay, Maine. It is in the town of St.George. Established in 1804, it is one of Maine's oldest light stations, with its present tower built in 1852 to a design attributed to Alexander Parris. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Whitehead Light Station on March 14, 1988. The property is now owned by not for profit Pine Island Camp. Whitehead light station offers to the public various stays at the light station from getaway weekends to learning retreats and renting the station as a vacation home. The light itself remains an active aid to navigation, maintained by the United States Coast Guard.From the Wikipedia article “Whitehead Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Whitehead Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:41 AM | 90° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:54 AM | 56° NE | 8:24 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:24 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:09 AM | 123° ESE | 4:02 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:17 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:36 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:11 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:38 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:18 AM | 4:54 AM | 5:38 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 4:33 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:53 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:10 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:14 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 5:47 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:18 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:23 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:01 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:16 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:43 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:32 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:13 PM | 4:00 PM | 4:33 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Whitehead Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:29 AM – 5:09 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:25 AM – 4:05 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:30 AM – 3:00 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:46 PM – 2:26 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:02 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:34 PM – 11:04 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:27 PM – 8:57 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.51 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 49% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (73%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 53 | 50 | 55 | 57 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 74 | 71 | 65 | 62 | 57 |
| Low °F | 2 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 37 | 45 | 54 | 56 | 50 | 39 | 19 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 6.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Tenants Harbor, 7.5 km (4.7 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Whitehead Light, closest first.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Whitehead Light?
What time is golden hour at Whitehead Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Whitehead Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Whitehead Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Whitehead Light?
How far is Whitehead Light from Saint George?
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.