LIGHT POLLUTION MAP OF MOUNT DESERT ISLAND The first light pollution map of Mount Desert Island was created by College of the Atlantic students Nicholas Bacon and Apoorv Gelhot from the Geographic Information Systems Laboratory. Working in collaboration with Peter Lord as part of the Island Astronomy Institute’s new Starlit Communities Project, they gathered 140 data points over two moonless nights this April. The map documents loss of natural starlight caused by artificial sky glow. This glow covers most of the United States and is the result of exterior lighting that unintentionally shines up into the sky, where it is called "light pollution." The results are plotted using the scale employed by the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness. As hoped, the map documents the existence of nearly pristine dark skies (black) on the western edge of Mount Desert Island. The map also indicates the emergence of very high metropolitan levels of light pollution (red) in the commercial district of Bar Harbor. Created using equipment purchased with a Maine Space Grant Consortium award to the College of the Atlantic, the map clearly shows the impact from the growth of the Island’s largest towns. Enough data was collected over two “all-nighters” to reveal local influences such as the MDI High School and Town Hill business district. The team’s next goal is to increase the map's resolution with even more data collected by Institute volunteers and school groups. The new data will make it possible to track seasonal, monthly, and weather-dependent changes. As the number of people on the Island grows this summer, the impact of light pollution is expected to grow measurably worse. Startup funding for the Starlit Communities Project comes from a $7500 grant from Friends of Acadia to the Island Astronomy Institute to support its collaboration with Acadia National Park. The map complements a sky map created by NPS staff last October using a system the Institute hopes to acquire. The Institute is working with the Hancock County Planning Commission to develop the first technical guidance on outside lighting for municipal planners in the State of Maine. The Institute is currently seeking partners for Starlit Community demonstration projects. Pat’s Pizza in Ellsworth agreed to serve as the first such pilot project. Other examples of starlight-friendly designs include: the Tremont Town Hall, The Jackson Laboratory, and the Town Hill Union Trust. The mapping project was featured in the Newsletter of the International Dark Sky Association (Issue 68/69).
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