DULUTH — Bob Foucault sees a bright future for Duluth — one with less light.
He believes the city has the potential of becoming the gateway city to the dark skies of the Northland. Instead of being met with neon blue streetlights, residents and visitors could be met with sprawling constellations and quiet escapes.
Starry Skies North will host its annual Celebrate the Night Week starting Sept. 27 to encourage the community to connect with the colorful night skies, which often compete with blaring city lights.
regional members of the International Dark Sky Association will emphasize the importance of reducing light pollution to ensure everyone and everything along the North Shore can thrive.
“The term ‘light pollution’ 10 years ago was not really out there in the same level as ‘water pollution’ or ‘air pollution,’” Foucault said. “But as daunting as it seems, we can change the status of light pollution and restore the night sky and the environment that needs the dark sky.”
This year’s events celebrate more than just awareness. Starry Skies North is brainstorming with city staff to install amber-shielded lighting on the Lakewalk and motion detectors for street lights. Foucault says Starry Skies North also plans to work with housing developments to include wildlife- and dark sky-friendly lighting on new projects.
Individual businesses can also earn a dark sky-friendly business certification; around 20 businesses across the city have achieved that status.
Foucault hopes the combination of music, science and art will keep the overall mission at the forefront of each star party and presentation.
“If we could lower the light pollution level by 50%, it would restore so much of the night sky, and it would improve things on the ground,” Foucault said.
Sam Zimmerman’s artwork often features a moon, which is known as the grandmother in Ojibwe culture. He will present his work on Sept. 27 as part of the Celebrate the Night Week’s kickoff event.
Contributed / Starry Skies North
For Ojibwe artist Sam Zimmerman, whose Ojibwe name is Zhaawanoogiizhik, the night sky is more than something to paint, it’s something to preserve. He uses his artwork — and his newly released book “Walking my Ancestors’ Path” — to capture Ojibwe constellations and star knowledge.
“There’s nowhere else like the North Shore and Grand Portage and the Boundary Waters to witness the stars and skies,” Zimmerman said. “The dark skies always felt like a relative; I always felt like I was home.”
Zimmerman will present his book, which is also translated into the Ojibwe language, at the Celebrate the Night Week kick-off event at Fitger’s. He’s attended previous events, but 2026 serves as an opportunity to emphasize the stories and culture that’s protected when the community unites to reduce light pollution. It’s also crucial in maintaining the land humans share with nature, he added.
“We have a responsibility to be good neighbors and to take care of our land and our skies, so we can all enjoy them,” he said.
Each event during Celebrate the Night week is free to attend, but
attendees are encouraged to register online
.
Sept. 27 will kick off the week’s events at Fitger’s third-floor ballroom at 6:30 p.m. Musician Paul Metsa will perform at 7 p.m. ahead of Zimmerman’s presentation. Zimmerman will be followed by musician David Huckfelt. Attendees can enter a raffle to win tickets to see Neil DeGrasse Tyson at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
A Zoom event will be hosted at 7 p.m. Sept. 28, where attendees can learn more about dark sky-centered literature from Craig Childs, author of “The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light” and Leigh Ann Henion, author of “Night Magic.”
Starry Skies North’s first star party of the event will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at Woodstock Bay in Superior. Participants can admire constellations, peek through telescopes or trade facts with fellow dark sky admirers.
On Sept. 30, the organization is partnering with the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium for a free show of Exploring Dark Skies. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and seats are first-come, first served.
Astro Bob will host an event at the Duluth Folk School at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 1. His presentation, “The Magnificent Aurora — From Myth to Modern Science,” will also feature his photography.
A second star party will take place at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Hartley Nature Center.
The final event will be a presentation from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Great Lakes Aquarium featuring information on why certain aquatic animals and plant life need dark skies to thrive.
Delia Rose Sauer started at the Duluth News Tribune in September 2026 as the arts and entertainment reporter. She previously interned at The Miami Herald, where she covered features, tourism and culture.