Look up at the stars over Katahdin

WRITTEN BY EMILY BAER

For thousands of years the nighttime skies over New England were an unfettered spectacle. These days, not so much. Over time, increased light pollution at night has meant our night skies are often clouded with artificial lights, glare, and sideglow. But northern Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, which covers approximately 87,500 acres, is a rare nocturnal exception — and an extraordinary one at that.

Soon after the monument was established in 2016, a dedicated group of community members, dark sky advocates, and local stakeholders began organizing the effort to recognize and protect the skies above Katahdin. 

In 2020, the monument was certified as a Dark Skies Sanctuary by the DarkSky International. This rare certification is only the second of its kind in the National Park Service and a testament to the rare beauty of our northern forests. Without commercial power sources within the monument’s territory, it is the only place in the northeast where you can look up at the night sky and see it the way the Wabanaki have since time immemorial. It is the same sky that Henry David Thoreau, Theodore Roosevelt, and countless other visitors to the region have quietly admired for hundreds of years.

“When you look up at the skies, there is a really incredible sense of time travel. You’re connecting to nature and connecting to your place within it,” said Brian Hinrichs, executive director of Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters (FKWW). “It is a wonderful feature of being able to spend time there when it gets dark.”

According to DarkSky International specifications, each sanctuary must meet or exceed three key criteria: the Milky Way is readily visible to the naked eye, no artificial light sources yield significant glare, and light domes are dim or otherwise restricted. Each year, the National Park Service does night sky recordings to ensure that lighting standards within the monument are maintained, and each fall, Hinrichs and his colleagues invite the public to help celebrate the achievement. 

“Our annual Stars Over Katahdin event is a great opportunity for people to experience dark skies for themselves and to learn alongside expert astronomers and night-sky educators,” Hinrichs said. 

The event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Festivities usually kick off in the late afternoon but Campfire Chats and guided night sky viewing with state-of-the-art telescopes start just after dusk. 

“It is a family friendly event,” Hinrichs said. “We’re in a big field at night, so it may be challenging for little ones, but we welcome everyone.”

While the event is a unique opportunity to gather with fellow-stargazers, it is far from the only chance you’ll have to take in the magnificence of sanctuary skies above Katahdin. In fact, summer is considered by many to be the best time to view the Milky Way. A new moon will provide for the darkest skies, and seasonal weather patterns may impact what you can see.

But regardless of when you visit the monument, it’ll be an adventure so it is critical to do a little research beforehand. 

“It is a rugged and rustic landscape,” Hinrichs said. “It is really important to prepare appropriately and map out your plans in advance.” 

That is especially true if you plan to explore at night. Hinrichs recommends exploring the National Park website which contains detailed information about road conditions, trail closures, and local weather. They also have simple, easy-to-access information about stargazing for all ages. 

“Whether you’re camping in the monument or just spending a little bit of time there at night, you can really feel the peace and the magnitude of having those pristine dark skies,” he said. 

It may just be something you have to see for yourself.

To learn more about Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters and their upcoming events and educational opportunities, please visit friendsofkww.org.