Mount Skylight is a mountain peak in Essex County, New York at about 1,495 m (4,905 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 16.1 km (10.0 mi) S of North Elba.
Mount Skylight is a mountain in the Adirondacks in the U.S. state of New York. Skylight is the fourth-highest peak in New York, with an elevation of 4,924 feet (1,501 m), and one of the 46 High Peaks in Adirondack Park. It is located in the town of Keene in Essex County. The mountain was given its name by artist Frederick S. Perkins and guide Orson Schofield Phelps in 1857, due to a rock formation on the peak resembling a window. Phelps would later make the first known ascent of the peak with surveyor Verplanck Colvin and two others on August 28, 1873.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Skylight”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Skylight the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (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) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 56° NE | 8:43 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 123° ESE | 4:21 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:35 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Mount Skylight, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:49 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:45 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:50 AM – 3:20 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:06 PM – 2:46 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 1:22 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 11:24 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 9:17 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.74 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 55 | 63 | 74 | 79 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 91 | 79 | 70 | 60 |
| Low °F | -29 | -27 | -18 | 8 | 27 | 36 | 43 | 45 | 32 | 23 | -7 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
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 mountain peak
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Skylight, closest first.
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Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Skylight?
What time is golden hour at Mount Skylight?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Skylight?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Skylight?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Skylight?
How far is Mount Skylight from North Elba?
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.