CAN WE BRING THE MILKY WAY BACK TO SKOWHEGAN?
By: Marissa Boynton, Skowhegan Outdoors ORF
Our night sky is disappearing. In fact, most of the dark night sky has already been lost along the east coast, leaving Maine as one of the only places in the eastern United States that the Milky Way can be seen, but not in Skowhegan.
If you look at a light pollution map (link below), you can see a big dark hole over Maine with Skowhegan and Bangor on the southern cusp. This means that Skowhegan, in addition to being the gateway to the Maine Woods, is also the gateway between the east coast and the dark night sky.
Maine has two Dark Sky protected areas, making them the only two in all of New England. The Appalachian Mountain Club and Katahdin Woods & Waters are paving the way for future Dark Sky Initiatives within Maine. (‘International Dark Sky Association’ link below)
Streetlights, car headlights, and all other lights at night contribute to enough light pollution to drown out the night sky, which greatly alters our natural world, like our circadian sleep rhythms, our night vision, bird migration, and nocturnal animals.
Not only is excess light detrimental to our natural world, but it is also a waste of money and fossil fuels. The good news is that reversing light pollution is incredibly easy!
YOU CAN HELP BRING BACK THE DARK!
You can always be mindful of the light you and your family are producing. Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights. Direct the light DOWN with fully-shielded fixtures. Avoid using ultra bright or blue light as these are stronger pollutants than warm colors. Be intentional and thoughtful with lighting design.
There are resources for the at-home astronomer to contribute to the collection of night sky data. Globe at Night (link below) has data collecting events throughout the year based on your location - you just need a smartphone and computer.
Links
Light Pollution Map https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=5.10&lat=44.1087&lon=-73.2803&layers=0BTFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTFF
International Dark-Sky Association https://www.darksky.org/
Globe at Night, Data Collection https://www.globeatnight.org/webapp/