WELCOME TO THE ISLAND ASTRONOMY INSTITUTE!

(Updated December 21)

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Our mission is to provide programs, facilities, and resources to schools, teachers and the public, to promote astronomy as a stimulating educational and cultural activity for people of all ages.

The Island Astronomy Institute serves the region surrounding Mount Desert Island (MDI), Maine, home of Acadia National Park. Isolated from the growing threat of light pollution, MDI retains some of the last naturally dark skies on the East Coast. Maine's star-filled nights offer a universe of inspiration.

Maine Starlight Festival—September 23-October 2, 2011

The Island Astronomy Institute is pleased to announce the inaugural Maine Starlight Festival to be held over nine days in Fall 2011. The festival will feature lectures, movies, solar viewings, star parties, and artistic works capturing the inspiration of Maine’s night skies.

“We've reached out to the astronomy community across the state to invite them to participate by providing their own events to this major expansion of our Starlit Communities Project,” stated Peter W. Lord, the Institute’s executive director. “The response we received was 100% positive, and we have secured preliminary agreements to coordinate a nine-day event from September 23 to October 2, 2011.”

You may download the press release for more information.

Minds on Education: Hands on Science

Natural curiosity and pristine nights turn people of all ages into space explorers. The Institute is currently focused on two outreach programs:

• Hands in Space astronaut glove programs
• The Digital STARLAB Portable Planetarium

Education for Natural Resource Protection

The Institute's Starlit Communities project is dedicated to preserving the nighttime environment as a valuable natural and educational resource, through grass-roots scientific management. Light pollution fills the sky close the ground with glowing domes that hide distant starlight. As light pollution grows, the reach of human vision shrinks—a view of nearly 6,000 stars, stretching millions of light years into the past, dwindles to a mere handful. Science, poetry, art, and music are some of the ways we've learned to express the wonder of a star-filled sky.

Our collaborative agreement with the National Park Service (NPS) makes possible the scientific management of this the unmatched cultural and educational resource. The spectacle of a pristine sky is now reserved for the last undeveloped corners of country. We work within these communities to help them make informed decisions about the future of their night sky.

Our current efforts are focused on the state-of-the-art NPS light pollution measurement capabilities that we provide with the technical assistance of the National Park Service. In 2008 we completed the first community inventory to take advantage of the NPS technology for the Acadia All American Road. Our next steps include research into the field of light pollution science, geospatial mapping, and improvements in our presentation of spatially demanding information.

For 2009 our goals are to:

• Acquire our own dedicated NPS measurement systems

• Initiate research into the impact of color on the size of community light domes
• Improve our capacity to present community light domes so they can be effectively managed

Our Affiliates

We collaborate with organizations that value astronomy's cultural contribution to the innovation of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics.

For current observing conditions and maps of the sky, see the Island Astronomy Clear Sky Chart.

The Island Astronomy Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. registered with the State of Maine. All contributions are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. You may download our IRS Form 990-EZ here.