|
|
|
Travel News Releases
|
(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 21, 2009 ) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BAR HARBOR, Maine— 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/AcadiaÂ’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, 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!
And yet, Maine retains more naturally dark sky than any state east of the Mississippi. Community surveys of night sky quality performed by the Island Astronomy Institute with the assistance of the National Park Service, provide a visible measure of Maine's unique “quality of place,” propelling communities to take measures to protect the increasingly rare resource. The National Park Service’s (NPS) standardized measurement of light pollution documents how much artificial glow the human eye perceives at night. According to Mr Lord “This unique NPS standard promises to improve protection of the night sky in important ways. Some forms of “night sky friendly” lighting are much less effective at preventing measurable sky glow than others.”
The Festival is presented by the Island Astronomy Institute in collaboration with Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Acadia. and a unique partnership of community and government organizations. It is made possible in part by the Maine Office of Tourism, the Maine Technology Institute, and the Acadia All American Roadway.
A full calendar of the Night Sky Festival events can be seen on the website.
-###-
Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Kitty Cayo
814-490-9251
kitty@atmstravelnews.com 
|
|
|
|
Travel RSS Marketpalce
|
Free Meeting & Travel Magazines
Get free travel publications including magazines, white papers and downloads on meetings, trade shows, business travel.
Submit RSS News Feed.
Have your feed on news, products or services displayed under this marketpalce. The feed also displayed on a full page and updated daily. Add RSS feed Now!
|
|
|
