Wood Island Light is a lighthouse in York County, Maine. The nearest town is Old Orchard Beach, about 7.8 km (4.8 mi) away (Wood Island Light lies SSE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 14 m (46 ft). It dates from 1808. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wood Island Light is an active lighthouse on the eastern edge of Wood Island in Saco Bay, on the southern coast of Maine. The light is just outside the entrance to Biddeford Pool and the end of the Saco River. The lighthouse is a 47-foot (14 m) conical white tower of granite rubble. The light itself sits 71 feet (22 m) above mean high water. Its automated beacon alternates between green and white every 10 seconds. Wood Island Light is Maine's second-oldest lighthouse (after Portland Head Light) and the nation's eleventh-oldest. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Wood Island Light Station on January 21, 1988, reference number 87002274. The United States Coast Guard maintains the active beacon of the lighthouse, while The Friends of Wood Island Light, a non-profit organization, has assisted the Coast Guard by maintaining and restoring parts of the lighthouse...From the Wikipedia article “Wood Island Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Wood Island Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:46 AM | 90° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:01 AM | 56° NE | 8:26 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 89° E | 6:41 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:12 AM | 122° ESE | 4:09 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 57m |
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 | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:41 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:30 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:45 AM | 5:18 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:32 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:44 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 24m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 06m |
| August | 5:16 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 5:53 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:21 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:05 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:49 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 6:35 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:07 PM | 4:39 PM | 8h 59m |
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 Wood Island Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:33 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:28 AM – 4:08 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:45 PM – 2:35 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 1:13 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:17 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:31 PM – 9:11 PM | 0.7 | 14° | 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.4 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 May as the cloudiest (66%). 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 | 60 | 61 | 73 | 85 | 83 | 89 | 90 | 95 | 94 | 79 | 68 | 62 |
| Low °F | -11 | -12 | -6 | 18 | 31 | 40 | 51 | 48 | 39 | 25 | 8 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
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.
- 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 Camp Ellis, Saco River Entrance, 4.3 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 Wood Island Light, closest first.
Beach
Beach
Lighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
National Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
Waterfall
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Wood Island Light?
What time is golden hour at Wood Island Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Wood Island Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Wood Island Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Wood Island Light?
How far is Wood Island Light from Old Orchard Beach?
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.