Stars Over Katahdin Follow-up

Thank you to all those who signed up for the 8th Annual Stars Over Katahdin, hosted by Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters and Dark Sky Maine in a virtual format for the second year in a row.

Thank you also to our generous presenters for providing entertaining, educational, and inspiring programs this year: Nancy Hathaway, Dark Sky Maine; John Meader, Northern Stars Planetarium; Serena Sanborn, Waterville Creates; Jason Gablaski, National Park Service; and our own Elise Goplerud.

Our 2021 Stars Over Katahdin virtual presentation was recorded and you can access the entire webinar here on Friends’ YouTube channel. Linked below you will find the resources mentioned during the presentations. We hope you will enjoy the program for the first time if you missed it on October 14th, or enjoy taking it in again. Please share with your friends and family by forwarding this email.

Our wish is that Stars Over Katahdin inspires you: to visit Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, to learn more about light pollution, or to step outside on a clear night with a pair of binoculars.

Finally, this annual event wouldn’t be possible without our members. Your support makes programs like Stars Over Katahdin possible. Member support also brought hands-on astronomy programs to 157 students in seven Katahdin Region elementary classrooms–inspiring the next generation of night-sky enthusiasts and protectors!

Resources from our presenters:

• John Meader:
  • Northern Stars Educational Services is an educational astronomy and science outreach service for schools, libraries, and non-profits throughout central and mid-coast Maine. https://www.northernstarsplanetarium.com/
  • Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. https://stellarium.org/
• Serena Sanborn:
  • The mission of the Maine Master Naturalist Program is to train people to be volunteer naturalists who will enrich nature education in Maine. https://mainemasternaturalist.org/
  • We believe art and culture are vital to a vibrant community and a prosperous city—the future we want for Waterville. https://www.watervillecreates.org/
  • Great science podcast for regular folks (may not suitable for children) https://www.alieward.com/ologies and a kid-friendly version https://www.alieward.com/smologies
  • Slides from presentation – Nocturnal animals of the north woods
• Elise Goplerud:
  • The Katahdin Gear Library (KGL) is a gear-lending library, outdoor adventure club, and public space for people of all ages to access equipment and tools, information and leadership, and to connect with people around a common interest in outdoor adventure and recreation. (Soon to have a new telescope!) https://millinocketmemoriallibrary.org/gear/
  • Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters is a non-profit 501c3 membership organization made up of individuals who are committed to working alongside the National Park Service to help protect, preserve and promote all that is special about Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. https://www.friendsofkww.org/about/
  • Friends has produced a Dark Sky Guide to Katahdin Woods and Waters. All new members receive a paper copy in the mail. https://www.friendsofkww.org/darkskyguide/
• Jason Gablaski:
  • Globe at Night is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure & submit their night sky brightness observations. https://www.globeatnight.org/
  • Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument official site: https://www.nps.gov/kaww/index.htm
  • Here is the link for downloading the Jr. Ranger Night Explorer Booklet! Junior Ranger Night Explorers – Night Skies (U.S. National Park Service)
• Nancy Hathaway:
  • Dark Sky Maine, a 501c3 nonprofit, promotes an appreciation of the night sky through education and by supporting measures that use appropriate lighting to provide security on the ground, promote the health of humans and nocturnal wildlife, while maintaining dark skies overhead. https://darkskymaine.com/
  • The International Dark-Sky Association works to protect the night skies for present and future generations. https://www.darksky.org/
  • Nancy Hathaway is passionate about helping couples, mothers, early childhood caregivers, groups, those with substance use disorders, basically anyone who is interested in exploring and bringing more Mindfulness into everyday life of relationship with self and other. https://www.nancyhathaway.com/home
• Other collected resources are available in this Google folder.

Stars Over Katahdin was made possible with generous support from Richardson’s Hardware and Celestron. Thank you!

—- This blog post was adapted from an email transmitted on October 29, 2021. To sign up for our email list, please email info@friendsofkww.org —-