Sea Girt Light — a lighthouse in Monmouth County, New Jersey — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 800 m NE of Sea Girt. Its recorded tower height is about 13 m (43 ft). It dates from 1896.
The Sea Girt Light is a decommissioned lighthouse marking the inlet leading to the Wreck Pond in Sea Girt, New Jersey, United States. It is located on a stretch of the New Jersey shore between the Barnegat and Navesink lighthouses. It hosted the first radio beacon mounted in a shore installation in the United States.From the Wikipedia article “Sea Girt Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sea Girt Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 58° ENE | 8:30 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 121° ESE | 4:34 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 19m |
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 | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 38m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 24m |
| June | 4:54 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 01m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 45m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 58m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 20m |
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 Sea Girt Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:34 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:32 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:17 AM – 3:47 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:32 PM – 3:22 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 1:54 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:57 PM | 2.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:49 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 7:58 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.79 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 67 | 71 | 73 | 91 | 88 | 96 | 102 | 101 | 96 | 92 | 75 | 71 |
| Low °F | -2 | -3 | 0 | 24 | 33 | 44 | 52 | 53 | 43 | 28 | 14 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
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 Manasquan Inlet, USCG Station, 3.9 km (2.4 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sea Girt Light, closest first.
Lighthouse
State Park
Lake
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sea Girt Light?
What time is golden hour at Sea Girt Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sea Girt Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sea Girt Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sea Girt Light?
How far is Sea Girt Light from Sea Girt?
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.