By Zach Mager
The best place to be as the sun sinks behind the horizon is in front of a campfire in the middle of a dense forest.
Our senses became acute as we heard a squirrel scurrying around the underbrush and our eyes saw every movement of the branches in the wind.
With no artificial lights to stall our melatonin’s release we began craving a good night’s sleep, but our night was not over yet.
With dinner finished and the pots, pans and food collected we hiked with our gear back out of the forest into the clearing where we first saw the highland cows in the daylight.
Some were still grazing as the moon was bright enough to see shadows.
We dropped our gear off at our vehicle and continued to the main event of the night at Au Diable Vert: ObservÉtoiles.
Without having searched for the amphitheatre in the daylight, we found it easy to find in the dark.
From the nocturnal-friendly lights of a parking lot, we found the trail leading up to the amphitheatre.
Otherworldly music played from unseen speakers as we climbed the hill.
We knew then that we were entering another world outside our day-to-day life to experience a deeper connection with our planet and the solar system where we make up a tiny speck.
The natural amphitheatre built into the mountain looks south and contains a rare and valuable nighttime sky view.
Southern views of the night sky can reveal constellations and objects that are lower on the horizon or not visible when looking north.
The problem is that most major Canadian cities are found south close to the border, and sky glow from major cities obscures the night sky.
Fortunately, Au Diable Vert is perched between Round Top and Jay Peak in the Sutton mountain range.
Being tucked away between the mountains on a plateau enables Au Diable Vert to offer a view of the night sky that has become increasingly rare in areas affected by artificial light.
Since Au Diable Vert offers a high-quality region of dark sky it became a Dark-Sky Preserve in 2018, a designation given by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
A Dark-Sky Preserve remains open to the public, educates the public about astronomy and the importance of reducing light pollution in our homes and cities, and can provide important habitat for nocturnal ecosystems.
Au Diable Vert and nearby protected lands are part of an important ecological corridor in the Appalachian Mountains between Quebec and the United States.
After having received our headsets and instructions on how to use the 360-degree augmented reality constellation finder, we made our way to the top of the amphitheatre into heated seats.
The night was mostly clear of clouds and looking up we saw the tableau of stars.
It wasn’t long before the astronomer walked on stage and the presentation began.
The presenter was able to use a high-powered laser pointer to point directly at the stars and constellations being discussed.
We were transported into the night sky, away from Earth and yet closer to it, to the ancient people who were dependent on the night sky for stories, navigation and wonder.
In a way we became present in ourselves at that moment in time, a meditation under the stars.
To learn what was taught, and experience a key destination in the nocturnal community it is highly recommended that you visit Au Diable Vert.
To reduce light pollution in your own homes, use fixtures that point artificial light down and avoid light trespassing into the surrounding landscape.
Using warmer yellow light hues also reduces light pollution and the effects of artificial light at night.
Blue artificial light at night can alter our circadian rhythms, the internal night and day cycles.
Let’s make the Eastern Townships a nocturnal-friendly community so that we may protect nocturnal habitats and increase the clarity of the night sky.