FA L L 2 0 2 2 | S K Y, S A N D & S U R F
The nightime heavenly views at Keweenaw Mountain Lodge’s new Dark Sky Park are stunning.
Starstruck Year-Round
Michigan’s newest international dark sky park joins a cluster of fabulous celestial observation sites around the state
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says John Mueller, owner of the lodge, which is located on 560 acres just a mile from town. Mueller bought the lodge and surrounding property from Keweenaw County over the past four years. He says both the northern lights and the Milky Way are sharply clear when nature cooperates. And when you watch the show on moonless nights, you’ll be awestruck by the profound, ancient panorama above. “Quiet and darkness and clean air really help you,” Mueller says. “We want to see more designated dark sky parks in the Upper Peninsula.” Once upon a time, before electricity and pollution, everywhere on Earth was worthy of
being called a dark sky park. People told time and fortunes by the stars, predicted events, and saw magical creatures overhead. These days, with lights everywhere, the world’s remaining dark places are more treasured and more scarce. An estimated 99 percent of Americans live under “sky glow,” an artificial brightening of the night sky that makes stars hard to see. In some places — think of the blazing lights found in big cities such as Detroit and Grand Rapids — people are lucky if they can see the moon and Big Dipper. But billions of stars are up there, and planets, and constellations, and the sparkling belt of the Milky Way. Many people need a
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEWEENAW MOUNTAIN LODGE/DARK SKY PARK
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he pitch-dark skies south of Copper Harbor in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have been noticed. The location has “ideal conditions for observing the night sky,” the International Dark-Sky Association proclaimed in June, as it named the area at Keweenaw Mountain Lodge an official international dark sky park. The Keweenaw Dark Sky Park is Michigan’s third. Come fall, as days get shorter and nights get longer, the heavens are putting on a show. All you have to do to see it is look up. “In the winter it gets dark at 4:30 p.m., and it doesn’t get light till 9 or 9:30 in the morning,”
By Ellen Creager
MICHIGAN BLUE
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9/13/22 8:51 PM