The red glow inside the observatory makes me flash back to my high school photography class darkroom. But instead of a projector, this time I am looking at a historic eight-inch refractor telescope pointing out of the Loines Observatory dome. Climbing up a small stepladder, I peek through the eyepiece to see the craters on the moon. If it weren’t for the iconic weathered cedar shingle–clad exterior on the sidewalls of the domes, I might have forgotten that I am on Nantucket.
The island may be known for its whaling and maritime lore, but Nantucket was also once home to Maria Mitchell, America’s first professional woman astronomer, who discovered a comet in 1847. Her legacy of stargazing on “The Grey Lady,” as Nantucket is affectionately known, is worth taking time to look up. While not a member of the Dark Sky International community yet, the Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) is working with Nantucket Lights to curb light pollution on the island. The advocacy group lobbied for outdoor lights to be turned off between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. The island sits 30 miles out at sea, and the resulting starscape allows visitors to view the Milky Way with the naked eye. “When the moon is below the horizon, it is spectacular to see from the deck at Loines,” says Dr. Jackie Milingo, MMA director of astronomy. “Looking to the south, [the Milky Way] appears to rise like steam from the spout of the teapot in the constellation of Sagittarius.” The celestial show is said to have peak conditions around September 10 and 11, when the new moon will face away from the Earth and create a “moonless” sky that might make the galactic core (the bright center of our galaxy) glisten like a handful of glitter on the dark skies.
The Loines Observatory offers astronomer-led stargazing programs two to three times a week. (You can drop in, but registration is recommended.) The observatory is only six minutes by car from downtown, and a 15- to 20-minute walk that would have retraced Mitchell’s steps, past the Atheneum and her childhood home on Vestal Street. Once you get to the observatory, you’ll notice Prospect Hill Cemetery across the street. The astronomer rests there in the family plot. Her belief that science was about more than facts and mathematics is still palpable, as the observatory’s astronomers ensure that the tours tap into the beauty and poetry of the starry expanse.
You’ll find two domes. One houses the antique eight-inch Alvan Clark refracting telescope that brings the moon and planets up close. “The great square of Pegasus and the constellation Andromeda are rising in the east,” Milingo adds. “From a dark location like Loines, on a moonless night, you might catch a glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy, our large spiral neighbor, out of the corner of your eye. Venus is still putting on a show; visible in the west at sunset, it is spectacularly bright.”
The moon shines brightly over the beach (L); Billie’s features night-sky inspired cocktails, such as Ultra Violette.
Photo by Charity Grace Mofsen (L); photo by Emily Mentes, Emily Elisabeth Photography (R)
The other dome is a modern 24-inch research telescope that uses a computer to target fainter objects like the Ring Nebula and the Great Globular Cluster of stars in Hercules.
MMA also offers guided Full Moon Nature Walks across Nantucket beaches that connect the sky to earth. Gathering just before moonrise gives the visitors a moment to witness the light lifting over the water like a lantern. The guide, MMA’s executive director, Joanna Roche, balances a dialogue between natural history and the narrative of the island sounds. “We spend so much of our lives connected to technology that we sometimes forget what it feels like to simply be outside and pay attention,” she says. “Walking at night changes that.”
For those looking for a bit more night noise, the weekly Owl Prowl adventure will awaken the ornithologist in you. It starts around sunset, early enough to bring kids along. You’ll likely hear the Eastern towhee calling from the scrub oak before you see him or the gray catbird mewing from a thicket. Barn swallows stitch the air above fields, and you may just spot an osprey carrying a fish over the moors. Lucky visitors might be rewarded by the screech of the barn owl or the whoo-whoo of the tiny Northern saw-whet owl.
For a nightcap, head back downtown to Billie’s for a Midnight on Broad cocktail made with La Luna mezcal, crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur), and bergamot. Or go all in on the theme with the celestial Ultra Violette, a spritz of cava, locally crafted gin, and crème de violette. Cheers to Ms. Mitchell, whose legacy lies in daring to look past the darkness.
Related: Learn more about astrotourism
