First Acadia Night Sky Festival Brightens Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor this September!

 A Downeast festival makes its shining debut this fall. The Acadia Night Sky Festival starts on the evening of September 17th, continuing through sunrise on the 21st.

Centered on Mount Desert Island, home to the lovely resort village of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, the festival celebrates the unparalleled beauty of Downeast/Acadia’s night sky through education, science, and the arts.

“Support for the Festival is amazing. Folks in Maine are serious about protecting their night time environment” says Peter Lord, President of the Island Astronomy Institute.

From stargazing in Acadia National Park to a special performance of night sky themed works by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, the public is invited to participate in each facet of the festival. sky. The festival features activities under day light and the night sky including music, science, poetry, art, and “hands on learning” for all ages.

Across the eastern half of the United States, once uninhabited lands between metropolitan centers are now occupied by homes and businesses. The result is a continuous glow from artificial lighting, all but erasing the star filled sky from points west and south of Downeast Acadia. Today many children living in this part of the country have never seen the Milky Way!