With all of the natural beauty found on the Leelanau peninsula during the daytime, it’s no surprise that the county is also just as fantastically eye-catching during the evening.
Michigan is a great place for stargazers to take in the night sky all year-round. Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area was certified as Michigan’s first International Dark Sky Sanctuary earlier this year, but if you can’t make a trip out there, the Leelanau peninsula is a close second for observing the stars in all their glory.
After the sun sets, the evening sky, with its clear views of brilliant stars, planets, and sometimes even Northern Lights, lights up and dazzles onlookers searching for vibrant views from above.
One group of volunteers, the Leelanau Dark Sky committee, which is a chapter of the nonprofi t Leelanau Energy, has been working to protect and preserve these rare skies through outreach and education for years. According to the group, the night skies were visible to people all over the world 100 years ago, a stark contrast compared with the 83% people globally now living under a light polluted sky. In addition to energy savings, both human health and wildlife benefit in a number of ways from darker skies and ultimately less artificial light.
Phyllis Rebori, a dark sky committee member, said their main mission aligns with the International Dark Sky Association’s efforts to connect with people in the community to share information and strategies on how to reduce light pollution and why it’s so important to do so. In recent years, Rebori said both Leelanau Township and the Village of Northport have adopted resolutions of support for dark sky standards.
“We want to retain and preserve natural dark skies, but we also are working on restoring dark skies through lighting policy,” Rebori said. “We are not advocating in any way to eliminate all light, we just want light to be serving a purpose that is directed to only where it’s needed instead of out to the sides or up to the sky. Keep the lights as low of a light level as needed, don’t be brighter than necessary, because very often, too bright of a light creates glare, which impairs your vision rather than enhancing it.”
No matter where you are, Rebori said part of enjoying the night sky is acknowledging “a sense of wonder.”
“You’re creating an environment better for all humans, animals, and pollinators… I think it brings a sense of calm and peace and not just enjoyment, but a feeling of being part of a universe where we’re all equal,” she said.
A resident of Leelanau Township, Rebori said people looking for great views of the night sky can visit popular places such as Woolsey Airport and Peterson Park in Northport. Both locations have little ambient lighting and residential homes, making it perfect for stargazing on a clear night. Although there’s the glow from the village lights below, the top of Braman Hill is also a beautiful vantage point for night sky observation. Visitors of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore further down the peninsula can attend dune star parties if they rather take in and enjoy the experience with other people, too.
Dick Cookman, former owner of Enerdyne in Suttons Bay, was a professor of astronomy, geology, and environmental science at Northwestern Community College for 30 years. As he continues to work in the optics department of Enerdyne, Cookman said the store stocks various optical equipment perfect for people who want to better view Leelanau skies. At the store, people can try out products like telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, and night vision equipment, among many other items before purchasing to see what best suits their needs.
“We have lots of places around here that have very little light pollution,” Cookman said. “Right now, one of my favorite things is just going out and looking at the sky… The constellation binocular is probably the instrument I use the most. And you could use regular binoculars, they most certainly help… but if you’re going to look at the planets or the moon in detail, you pretty much have to go to a telescope.”
While people may be able to see some of the stars, brighter planets and the moon with the naked eye, Cookman added that binoculars and other optical equipment will allow for more rare deep sky objects to be seen.
“The deep sky objects will be things like distant galaxies, star clusters, clouds, gas, and dust from where stars are born… you can’t really see those (deep sky objects) if you’re inside one of those light pollution domes,” he said. “When you get outside of it, you start seeing more and more things.”
