Michigan has among the few spots of ‘pristine’ night skies east of the Mississippi

Northern Michigan has among the few areas in the United States with “pristine" night skies almost entirely devoid of light pollution, according to a new study.

The study, led by Fabio Falchi of the Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute in Italy and published in the Journal of Environmental Management, mapped out areas of the United States and Europe with less than 1% of artificial brightness at night.

In the continental United States, most of those pristine skies exist in the western U.S. In the eastern half of the country, the only states with areas of pristine sky are Michigan, Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The researchers’ U.S. map is below.

The places in Michigan include the northern part of Isle Royale in Lake Superior, the northern part of the Keweenaw Peninsula and the stretch of the Lake Superior shoreline from roughly Munising east to Grand Marais in the Upper Peninsula.

Pristine skies also can be found over Beaver Island and South Fox Island in the northern part of Lake Michigan. Both islands are considered part of the Lower Peninsula.

Not included on the map: Headlands International Dark Sky Park, just west of the Mackinac Bridge near Mackinaw City, and dark sky preserves within six other state parks, all in the Lower Peninsula.

The dark sky preserves are in

• Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Lenawee County near the Ohio border;
• Newegon State Park, along Lake Huron in Alcona County;
• Port Crescent State Park, along Lake Huron in Michigan’s Thumb region;
• Rockport State Park, along Lake Huron near Alpena;
• Thompson’s Harbor State Park, along Lake Huron near Rogers City;
• Wilderness State Park, along Lake Michigan near Mackinaw City.

Below is a map from the study showing light pollution across Michigan.

Based on the study, Thompson’s Harbor and Newegon parks are in counties with the least light pollution of the six dark sky preserves, while Lake Hudson would have the most.