Located in Nantucket County, Massachusetts, Sankaty Head Light is a lighthouse. It sits roughly 11.1 km (6.9 mi) E of Nantucket. Its recorded tower height is about 21 m (69 ft). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sankaty Head Light is a lighthouse located on Nantucket island. It was built in 1850, was automated in 1965, and is still in operation. It is located at the easternmost point of the island, in the village of Siasconset. It was one of the first lighthouses in the United States to receive a Fresnel lens.From the Wikipedia article “Sankaty Head Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sankaty Head Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:44 AM | 90° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:08 AM | 57° ENE | 8:17 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:28 AM | 89° E | 6:39 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:03 AM | 121° ESE | 4:14 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 11m |
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 | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:47 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 32m |
| February | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:32 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 4:33 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:49 PM | 15h 08m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 52m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 5:53 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:19 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:28 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 5:59 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:10 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:44 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:44 PM | 9h 13m |
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 Sankaty Head Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | 4:57 AM – 4:57 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 4:19 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:06 AM – 3:26 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:24 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:14 PM – 1:34 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:25 PM – 11:25 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:25 PM – 9:25 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:32 PM – 7:32 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.41 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 56% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 55 | 55 | 52 | 56 | 61 | 69 | 73 | 74 | 73 | 68 | 66 | 61 |
| Low °F | 8 | 11 | 17 | 33 | 40 | 48 | 56 | 60 | 55 | 43 | 27 | 20 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 5.5 |
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.
- 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 NANTUCKET, 10.9 km (6.8 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sankaty Head Light, closest first.
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LighthouseLighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sankaty Head Light?
What time is golden hour at Sankaty Head Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sankaty Head Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sankaty Head Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sankaty Head Light?
How far is Sankaty Head Light from Nantucket?
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.