Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light is a lighthouse in Brown County, Wisconsin. The nearest town is Suamico, about 11.2 km (7.0 mi) away (Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light lies ENE of town). It dates from 1935. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light is an offshore lighthouse near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Located 10 miles (16 km) from the mouth of the Fox River, it was erected to signal the entrance to Green Bay. The shipping channel approaching the Fox River in Green Bay was changed a number of times in order to accommodate vessels of increasing draft. The Army Corps of Engineers also modified the channel in the mid 1920s. The Green Bay Harbor Entrance buoy was established in 1927 to mark this point until the Bureau of Lighthouses could obtain funds for a more permanent solution. The acetylene buoy emitted a flash of 0.3 seconds duration every 3 seconds and had a wave-activated bell. The light is one of the few on the Great Lakes still powered by submarine cable. It is issued from a pair of 300 mm Tideland Signal ML300 acrylic optics mounted on the gallery railing. Because the light is too far...From the Wikipedia article “Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:56 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 55° NE | 8:41 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 123° ESE | 4:15 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 48m |
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 | 6:53 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 49m |
| June | 4:30 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 33m |
| July | 4:45 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:02 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 36m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:46 PM | 8h 50m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:56 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:54 AM – 4:14 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:10 PM – 2:30 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:15 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 11:14 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 9:15 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 20.88 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 59% average cloud cover) and May 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 | 45 | 53 | 69 | 71 | 79 | 85 | 92 | 92 | 86 | 79 | 67 | 58 |
| Low °F | -23 | -15 | -11 | 16 | 29 | 37 | 50 | 51 | 40 | 29 | 13 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
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
- A telephoto from across a bay compresses the tower against cliffs or the moon.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light?
What time is golden hour at Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light?
How far is Green Bay Harbor Entrance Light from Suamico?
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.