Sharps Island Light is a lighthouse in Talbot County, Maryland. The nearest town is Chesapeake Beach, about 14.8 km (9.2 mi) away (Sharps Island Light lies ESE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sharps Island Light is the third lighthouse to stand nearly 3 miles (5 km) south-southwest from the southern end of Tilghman Island in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The structure is best known today for evoking the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a condition caused by an ice floe in 1977. The first lighthouse was built on Sharps Island in 1838, but due to the island's erosion it was moved in 1848. In a report from Stephen Pleasonton, the general superintendent of the United States Treasury Department's Lighthouse Establishment, the lighthouse was described as having:10 lamps; Jeremiah Valiant, keeper...Dwelling-house is built of wood, two stories high, with the lanterns on the roof. The plastering to the rooms is much cracked, but it is not of much consequence, as it is unoccupied. The keeper's son sleeps in it of nights to take care of the lights. Found the lamps and reflectors good and...From the Wikipedia article “Sharps Island Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sharps Island Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 59° ENE | 8:34 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 120° ESE | 4:48 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 28m |
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 | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 46m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:03 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 16m |
| June | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 51m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 29m |
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 Sharps Island Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:22 AM – 5:42 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:48 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:19 AM – 3:59 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:31 PM – 3:41 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 2:14 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:11 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 10:06 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 8:18 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.54 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 50% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (61%). 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 | 71 | 70 | 76 | 89 | 92 | 96 | 101 | 100 | 94 | 93 | 75 | 72 |
| Low °F | 7 | 4 | 14 | 29 | 38 | 50 | 60 | 60 | 49 | 36 | 24 | 15 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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 Avalon, Dogwood Harbor, 8.6 km (5.4 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sharps Island Light, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sharps Island Light?
What time is golden hour at Sharps Island Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sharps Island Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sharps Island Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sharps Island Light?
How far is Sharps Island Light from Chesapeake 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.