A MAINE COMMODITY
Who knows for sure when the first ice was harvested, but it became big business in the early 1800s when Boston merchant Frederic Tudor designed icehouses and ice boxes and began shipping ice to the West Indies. By 1891 Charles Morse of Bath had consolidated all the ice trade of the northeast, including the Hudson River, under his American Ice Company, earning him the moniker, “Ice King.”
Maine USA Map In World Map Photo Gallery
On a dear night in Maine you can look up and see something you can’t see from most other places on the Eastern Seaboard the Milky Way, that large cloudy splash of stars across the sky. Larger, well lit urban areas have so much light pollution that viewing the lull spectacle oi the night sky is difficult.
Acadia National Park is one of the best places in Maine to view the Milky Way. The population is fairly small and Acadia and Harbor have passed an ordinance governing the types of lighting allowed. Most light pollution comes from older style lighting so reducing light pollution requires using directional lighting such as LEDs. Acadia is noted bv the International Dark Skv Asso ciation as a place that’s been successful at reducing light pollution.
There’s an annual Acadia Night Sky Fes tival toward the end of September every year, with workshops, speakers, and, of course, informed stargazing. I he Festival describes
The farther north you go to see the Milky Way, you also have a better the chance to see the wild show put on periodically by the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.
Acadia as having “the largest expanse of nat urally dark sky east of the Mississippi.” Another place to view the Milky Way without a lot of fuss is also Down Last Curtis Cove in Last Blue Hill. Ihis spot is suggested for people who don’t necessarily want to camp out. but just wish to park their car on the side of the road, get out, and observe the heavens, weather permitting.
Night sky photographers recommend getting 25 to 50 miles away from major urban areas. In Maine, few population centers are major or urban, so remote places are not too hard to find. The lips of some of the many peninsulas along the coast can make for good viewing.
