By Heather Crowley

This year marks the 3rd annual Acadia Night Sky Festival. The festival will run from September 22 to 26, 2011 in Bar Harbor, ME. From concerts to photography lessons to hikes, the festival is sure to help you explore the night sky in new ways. Acadia National Park will also be hosting a variety of Night Sky Events.

The festival will celebrate the night sky through education, science and the arts. Acadia still maintains some of the purest night skies in the country and offers opportunities to see the stars unobstructed during good weather. Stars and galaxies unviewable in other areas due to poor visibility are revealed in Acadia.

Leave the florescent lights of the big city behind and check out the amazing views. Here the Milky Way shines bright in the largest expanse of naturally dark sky, east of the Mississippi. From boat cruises to beach viewings, the festival offers a variety of ways to view celestial bodies. Events run throughout the five-day celebration in both Bar Harbor and in Acadia.

Visit Jackson Laboratory for a daytime rooftop solar viewing. Located at 600 Main St. in Bar Harbor, the viewing will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Friday. Using special filters, visitors will be able to observe the surface of the sun!

Don’t miss the Star Party at the top of Cadillac Mountain! Hang out with the experts to spot some of the coolest constellations in the sky. Rangers, volunteers and local astronomers will point out night sky features visible with the naked eye, binoculars, and through telescopes.

The full calendar of community events, including up-to-date ticket and event information, can be found at http://www.acadianightskyfestival.com.