Plum Beach Light is a lighthouse in Washington County, Rhode Island. The nearest town is Jamestown, about 4.9 km (3.0 mi) away (Plum Beach Light lies NW of town). Its recorded tower height is about 16 m (52 ft). It dates from 1897. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Plum Beach Light (Lighthouse), built in 1899, is a sparkplug lighthouse in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The lighthouse was built using pneumatic caisson engineering. A granite base was added in 1922. The light was deactivated in 1941 when the first Jamestown Bridge was built. The light became dilapidated until 1999 when the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse received ownership of the lighthouse. The lighthouse is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2003 the Plum Beach Lighthouse's exterior was completely restored and its beacon re-activated soon after; it is now licensed as a Coast Guard Private Aid to Navigation. The Friends of the Plum Beach Lighthouse designed, submitted and introduced an official License Plate to be distributed to any Rhode Island private passenger registration. The extremely popular plates have sold over 7000 sets since they were...From the Wikipedia article “Plum Beach Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Plum Beach 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) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 57° ENE | 8:24 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 121° ESE | 4:19 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:44 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:55 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 4:38 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:56 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 54m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:16 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 6:35 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:49 PM | 9h 11m |
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 Plum Beach 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 6 (bright 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 | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:15 AM – 5:15 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:16 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:14 AM – 3:24 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:32 PM – 3:02 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:22 PM – 1:32 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:33 PM – 11:33 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:32 PM – 9:32 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:39 PM – 7:39 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.36 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 August as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (69%). August 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 | 58 | 54 | 67 | 82 | 82 | 90 | 96 | 92 | 89 | 81 | 72 | 65 |
| Low °F | 0 | -3 | 9 | 24 | 36 | 44 | 54 | 55 | 47 | 31 | 17 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
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 West Jamestown, Dutch Island Harbor, 4.0 km (2.5 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Plum Beach Light, closest first.
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State ParkLighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Plum Beach Light?
What time is golden hour at Plum Beach Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Plum Beach Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Plum Beach Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Plum Beach Light?
How far is Plum Beach Light from Jamestown?
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.