Programs and Outreach

Seasonal Virtual Star Parties

Dark Sky Maine hosts free online virtual star parties four times each year on the Vernal Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumnal Equinox, and the Winter Solstice. Watch for dates and times on our events calendar. The next virtual star party will be in December, the date is still to be determined for the winter solstice and the virtual event.

Annual Star Party

Each year Dark Sky Maine will host a Star Party in late summer or early fall which is open to Friends of DSM. The location will move from place to place around the State of Maine. If you have a good location and would like to host one of our annual star parties, please let us know. These have been put on hold due to Covid safety concerns, watch for an upcoming event in 2024.

Private Events

If you or your organization would like Dark Sky Maine to bring an event to your location, please contact us and we’ll set up a date and time. We currently offer three types of programming:

Star Parties We bring telescopes to your location and share the actual night sky with your group. Cost $300 plus mileage.

Night Sky Tours One of our sky experts will lead your group for a night sky tour of constellations and visible planets, pointing out these stellar wonders with a laser pointer. If participants bring their own binoculars we can also end with a binocular tour utilizing a method called star hopping to lead you to a deeper look into the night sky. Cost $250 plus mileage.

Online Virtual Star Parties We will lead your group on a tour of the night sky using online software through your Zoom or Google Chat connection. Cost $100.

Screenings of Saving the Dark, the 2022 film by Tara Roberts Zabriskie on Maine’s efforts to save our dark sky heritage. These presentations will include a Q&A by a Dark Sky Maine representative. Cost: $350 plus mileage for groups of 50 or less; for larger groups please contact us for details.