Located in Greene County, New York, Coxsackie Light is a lighthouse. The nearest town is Coxsackie, about 3.3 km (2.1 mi) away (Coxsackie Light lies NNE of town). It dates from 1830.
Coxsackie Light was a lighthouse near the town of Coxsackie, New York, on the northerly end of the Low island northerly of Coxsackie island and on the westerly side of the main channel of the Hudson River. The lighthouse was first established in 1830 and the last tower was first lit in 1868. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1940. The lighthouse was a red square tower with granite trimmings and a red dwelling on stone pier. The lantern housing was black. The light was 32 feet high fixed white light. The original lens was a sixth order Fresnel lens. The Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a collection (#1055) of souvenir postcards of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Coxsackie Light with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric...From the Wikipedia article “Coxsackie Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Coxsackie Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:59 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 57° ENE | 8:36 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 122° ESE | 4:26 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 04m |
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 | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:53 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 16m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:29 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 06m |
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 Coxsackie Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:36 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:28 AM – 4:28 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:39 AM – 3:29 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:50 PM – 3:00 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:39 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:36 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 9:33 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.36 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 (74%). 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 | 64 | 70 | 73 | 87 | 91 | 93 | 100 | 98 | 93 | 86 | 74 | 68 |
| Low °F | -24 | -18 | -15 | 12 | 27 | 34 | 46 | 46 | 34 | 18 | 3 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
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.
- 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 Coxsackie, Hudson River, 3.0 km (1.9 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Coxsackie Light, closest first.
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State ParkWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Coxsackie Light?
What time is golden hour at Coxsackie Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Coxsackie Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Coxsackie Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Coxsackie Light?
How far is Coxsackie Light from Coxsackie?
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.