Stargazing 2023 Season Recap – Fostering the Night Sky

Stargazing at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is an activity that can be enjoyed by anyone. The Keweenaw Dark Sky Park was designated as Michigan’s third International Dark Sky Park on June 21, 2022, with the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge (KML) being the headquarters for the dark sky park. Since then the team at the KML has been working to create great stargazing experiences.

[ View the history of the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park’s application ]

We view stargazing as a way to get in touch with nature. The Earth, our natural world, is part of our solar system which is a small part of the Milky Way Galaxy which is even a smaller part of the known universe. Looking up and seeing a clear night sky opens the door to our universe. The sheer beauty is one aspect of what draws us to stargazing and chasing the northern lights, however it goes beyond the visual. Looking at the stars has enlarged our perspective; it helps remind us about how insignificant we are and why we are here on planet Earth. Man’s impact on our planet, and even the night sky, is significant. More than 80 percent of humanity is affected by light pollution from artificial light. Animals and plants on this planet (as well as humans) have genetically adapted to regular day/night/seasonal cycles that have been completely interrupted by the glow created by artificial lights. One of the goals of the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge in becoming a dark sky park is to foster dark skies across the Keweenaw. We want to provide experiences and educational opportunities so individuals can learn about the impact of artificial light on the natural world. Our hope is that you leave the Lodge more knowledgeable than when you came.

Stargazing is a year round activity at the Lodge. The property is open at night to guests 365 nights of the year. Providing educational materials and information regarding the night sky is a year round endeavor. For lodging guests, telescopes are available to borrow as part of the telescoping lending program. We use a bulletin board inside the lodge to post informational posters about the night sky. Inside the Outdoor Activity Center (OAC) the Astro Board is updated each week to inform guests of celestial happenings in the night sky.

Educational posters on the bulletin board
The Astro Board inside the OAC

 

In this post, we review some of the night sky activities and celestial events that happened in 2023.

January

Participants gather outside the Lodge for the January 7th Moonlit Snowshoe Hike

February

Northern Lights over the cabins during the G3 solar storm on February 26th

March

Full moon over the Lodge during the March 4th Moonlit Snowshoe Hike

April

  • Installed the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park at the main entrance of KML, on US Hwy 41: We were able to put up an entrance sign for the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park. We removed an outdated KML sign and created a new wooden sign displaying the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park and the International Dark Sky Association’s logos. [ Note: the International Dark Sky Association has changed its name to Dark Sky International ]
  • Hosted the Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival: The team wanted to create an educational event that was unique to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan focused on the night sky. We partnered with Visit Keweenaw to launch a dark sky festival that will take place annually. Speakers came from across the region to share their expertise on the northern lights, photographing the night sky, and astronomy.
  • Started the Lights Out! Program: Installed light switches for the 28 dark sky compliant street lights that are on the property as part of our lighting improvement, and which is inline with our light management plan. Having light switches for each street light allows us to completely shut off the lights for a program we call Lights Out!. We originally started the Lights Out! program for three days a month around the new moon, and later in the year we switched this to seven days a month.
Astro Bob leads a presentation on Meteorites during the Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival
The new Keweenaw Dark Sky Park entrance sign
The new Keweenaw Dark Sky Park entrance sign

May

Installing the new Keweenaw Dark Sky Park map and sign in the parking lot

June

 
Image from the National Geographic photo shoot

July

  • Grant awarded to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge to improve our night sky lighting. The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge was awarded an $8,000 grant to install a wireless system to control our street lights remotely. This grant program was offered by the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform to purchase and install Synapse TL7-B2 wireless modules for the 28 street lights on the property. These modules allow the Lodge team the ability to easily control the streetlights for better night sky viewing.
  • Hosted a Night Sky Photo Workshop on July 16th
  • Construction of the Dark Sky Walking Path to Hole 4 Fairway: The team worked on leveling a path to Hole 4 of the golf course. This is one of a few paths that we call a Dark Sky Walking Path that guide people to some of the darker places in the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park.
Using the Bobcat mini-ex to improve the Dark Sky Walking Path to Hole 4

August

New map that showcases the Dark Sky Walking Paths

September

  • Northern Lights Photo Workshop on September 17th
  • An entrance poster created to notify guests when there is a possibility of Northern Lights that night
  • Northern Lights – a G2 level solar storm is visible across the Keweenaw – September 18th – 19th: 10:00pm – 5:00am
Nate Bett instructs the September Northern Lights Photo Workshop

October

  • Created an Informational Poster – Using Red Lights in Dark Sky Parks
  • Hosted a Northern Lights Photo Workshop on October 15th
  • Installed light posts and signage for the Dark Sky Walking path to hole 7. The APT Solar Solutions — 3D Solar lighting fixtures were attached to the top of the posts.
  • Started installing the Wifi Modules on street lights. The wireless control system allows us to control the street lights remotely, which helps with improving the guest experience for dark skies.
A boom truck installing the Wifi modules on the street lights
Installing the Wifi modules on the street lights

November

Information about the November sustainable tourism event

December

  • Started uploading videos from the All-sky Camera to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge’s Youtube account
  • Hosted a Northern Lights Photo Workshop on December 9th
  • Finished installing light posts and signage for the Dark Sky Walking path to hole 7
  • Testing red lights around the property to enhance night sky viewing, and to let guests understand how red lights are better for stargazing. White LED light bulbs were replaced with red LED light bulbs at the entrance of the Lodge building and on the entry pillars at the entrance of the property on US Hwy 41.
The new red light bulbs light the Lodge. The planet Venus is bright in the night sky.

2023 proved to be an exciting year for stargazing at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. The team worked together to provide guests many educational and adventure activities based around the night sky. We continued to have dark skies (see the dark sky quality measurement readings – measured monthly in 8 of the 12 months in 7 spots on property for 43 readings, with an average SQM of 21.45) and build out more of the infrastructure of the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park. And we learned something new everyday. One of the Lodge team’s core values is to “be fearless and persistent in learning on a daily basis” and our activities in 2023 mirrored that as it related to the dark skies. To see what others have been saying about the Lodge’s dark sky activities and read more about the dark sky park, check out the press coverage page of the website. There were well over 20 wonderful articles written about the subject in 2023.

The night sky for 2024 is already making headlines. Solar activity is expected to strengthen in 2024, which could activate more frequent displays of the northern lights, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Comet C/2023 A3 might light up our autumn sky and the 2024 total eclipse will cross most of the United States. Our team looks forward to another year of stargazing and providing some fun adventures to help our guests expand their (and our) perspective of the night sky.

A newly installed APT Solutions solar light
Photographer Steve Hirsch captures the Milky Way Galaxy in the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park on August 12th
This bulletin board is used to share information about the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park
The Keweenaw Dark Sky Park headquarters during the February 26th Northern Lights event

Visit Keweenaw’s Video during the 2023 Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival about the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park


 

 



Last modified on February 17th, 2024 at 10:24 am