PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 4, 2026
Fanatical Mainers all over the state have taken their interest in astrophotography to the next level, investing thousands to build their own observatories and rigs, and agreeing that Maine is a special place to look at the night sky. Because of its low population density and large forested areas, the state has some of the darkest skies east of the Mississippi, according to Shawn Laatsch, the director of the University of Maine’s Versant Power Astronomy Center. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, known for its clear skies. And the state is roughly halfway between the equator and the North Pole, offering a pretty view of the northern sky, Laatsch said.