WOODS & WATERS
Maine’s night skies are a
TREASURE
ENJOYING MAINE’S UNPOLLUTED NIGHT SKY STORY & PHOTO BY BOB DUCHESNE
MAINE IS A PLACE of many natural wonders, sometimes too easily taken for granted. Take stars, for instance. Maine’s dark sky is unequaled anywhere in the eastern United States. Much of northern Maine is virtually unaffected by light pollution. The nearest state that matches northern Maine’s starlit nights is Montana. Even the glow of Maine’s cities is modest compared to the east coast megalopolis to the south. Light pollution is measurable. A multitude of dark-sky maps populate the internet, serving the amateur astronomers and astrophotographers who use them. As the planet gradually becomes a brighter place, there are fewer spots far from the city lights that can make a person look up and say “Wow.” In Maine, on a perfect moonless night, the Milky Way is bright enough to cast a shadow. For most of human existence, people have wondered at the stars. Legacies from ancient cultures remain. Think Stonehenge and Mayan ruins. Shepherds created entire mythologies around the stars, giving names to constellations that we still use today. Mariners learned to navigate by the stars. The Phoenicians often get credit for developing the first celestial orientation system 4000 years ago, but other ancient civilizations were catching on, too. Alas, many Americans today view starry skies only in movies and magazines. Or when they visit Maine. It took a while to lose a sense of the heavens, and another while to recognize the loss. Today, dark skies are a treasure to be recognized, conserved and celebrated. The International Dark Sky Association has designated two sites in Maine as globally significant: the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine
AS THE PLANET GRADUALLY BECOMES A BRIGHTER PLACE, THERE ARE FEWER SPOTS FAR FROM THE CITY LIGHTS THAT CAN MAKE A PERSON LOOK UP AND SAY “WOW.”
