Polaris Andromeda Aries Auriga Cassiopeia Cepheus Cetus Cygnus Draco Eridanus Gemini Lyra Orion Pegasus Perseus Taurus Ursa Major Ursa Minor N E S W
The whole sky from Isle Royale at about 10 pm local time in mid-November (11 pm on daylight saving time). Overhead is the center, north is at the top and east at the left, as seen lying on your back. The pale band is the Milky Way; the dashed line is the celestial equator. Select a constellation name for its page.

Dark sky place · Michigan

Isle Royale National Park

Isle Royale National Park is a national park in Michigan, near Thunder Bay, ON. Its sky rates Bortle Class 2, typical truly dark site, with a zenith sky brightness of 21.99 mag/arcsec².

Isle Royale in brief

Bortle class
2
Sky brightness
21.99 mag/arcsec²
Naked-eye limit
magnitude 7.1-7.5
Latitude
48.1°N
Elevation
190 m (620 ft)
Managed by
National Park Service
Nearest lodging
Copper Harbor, MI

Official site

How dark the sky is at Isle Royale: Bortle Class 2, typical truly dark site

The zenith sky here reads 21.99 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is as dark as a natural sky gets: almost all the glow comes from airglow and starlight, not lamps.

Milky Way

The summer Milky Way is highly structured, with dark lanes visible to the naked eye

Zodiacal light

Zodiacal light is bright enough to cast faint shadows before dawn and after dusk

Faintest naked-eye stars

Magnitude 7.1 to 7.5 overhead

Naked eye

M33 is easy with direct vision; clouds show only as black holes in the starfield

At the eyepiece

Faint nebulae and galaxy detail come through well; this is a typical star party sky

1 mag 8.0 21.99+ 2 mag 7.5 21.89+ 3 mag 7.0 21.69+ 4 mag 6.5 20.49+ 5 mag 6.0 19.50+ 6 mag 5.5 18.94+ 7 mag 5.0 18.38+ 8 mag 4.5 18.00+ 9 mag 4.0
The Bortle scale. Each panel shows the class number, the faintest star the naked eye reaches at the zenith, and the darkest-edge sky brightness reading of that class in mag/arcsec².

Sky brightness and class come from the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness (Falchi et al. 2016, CC BY-NC 4.0), with natural skyglow added. On the night, haze, smoke, humidity and the Moon set the real limit; see every Bortle Class 2 place.

What's up from Isle Royale by season

At latitude 48.1°N, the north celestial pole stands 48° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -42° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 13° above the southern horizon. These are the constellations well placed, 35° or more above the horizon, at about 10 pm in the middle of each season, brightest first.

January evenings (winter): Auriga, Orion, and Canis Minor

  • AurigaOverhead, brightest star Capella
  • OrionIn the south, brightest star Rigel
  • Canis MinorIn the southeast, brightest star Procyon
  • TaurusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Aldebaran
  • GeminiHigh in the southeast, brightest star Pollux
  • Ursa MajorIn the northeast, brightest star Alioth
  • PerseusHigh in the west, brightest star Mirfak
  • Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris

Also well placed: Aries, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Triangulum, Lynx, Cancer, Monoceros, Leo Minor, Camelopardalis.

April evenings (spring): Bootes, Leo, and Ursa Major

  • BootesHigh in the east, brightest star Arcturus
  • LeoHigh in the southwest, brightest star Regulus
  • Ursa MajorOverhead, brightest star Alioth
  • Ursa MinorHigh in the north, brightest star Polaris
  • Corona BorealisIn the east, brightest star Alphecca
  • DracoIn the northeast, brightest star Eltanin
  • Canes VenaticiOverhead, brightest star Cor Caroli
  • LynxHigh in the west, brightest star Alpha Lyncis

Also well placed: Cancer, Leo Minor, Camelopardalis, Coma Berenices, Sextans.

July evenings (summer): Bootes, Lyra, and Aquila

  • BootesHigh in the west, brightest star Arcturus
  • LyraHigh in the southeast, brightest star Vega
  • AquilaIn the southeast, brightest star Altair
  • CygnusHigh in the east, brightest star Deneb
  • Ursa MinorHigh in the north, brightest star Polaris
  • OphiuchusIn the south, brightest star Rasalhague
  • Corona BorealisHigh in the southwest, brightest star Alphecca
  • DracoOverhead, brightest star Eltanin

Also well placed: Cepheus, Hercules, Canes Venatici, Sagitta, Delphinus, Lacerta, Vulpecula.

October evenings (fall): Lyra, Cygnus, and Perseus

  • LyraIn the west, brightest star Vega
  • CygnusHigh in the west, brightest star Deneb
  • PerseusIn the east, brightest star Mirfak
  • Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
  • AriesIn the east, brightest star Hamal
  • AndromedaOverhead, brightest star Alpheratz
  • DracoIn the northwest, brightest star Eltanin
  • CassiopeiaOverhead, brightest star Schedar

Also well placed: Pegasus, Cepheus, Triangulum, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Camelopardalis, Vulpecula.

Showpieces from Isle Royale through the year

SightConstellationJanuaryAprilJulyOctober
Andromeda Galaxy (M31)AndromedaIn the west--Overhead
Orion Nebula (M42)OrionIn the south---
Pleiades (M45)TaurusHigh in the southwest--In the east
Double ClusterPerseusHigh in the northwest--High in the northeast
Hercules Cluster (M13)Hercules-In the eastOverhead-
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)Canes Venatici-OverheadHigh in the west-
Ring Nebula (M57)Lyra--High in the southeastIn the west

At about 10 pm on the 15th of each month; a dash means the sight is below 25° then.

Never set from Isle Royale

Only skim the southern horizon from Isle Royale

Never rise from Isle Royale

Where to set up at Isle Royale

The coordinates on this page point to Rock Harbor, Isle Royale, at 190 m (620 ft): 48.089°N, 88.579°W.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.

Isle Royale among the dark sky places of Michigan

Apple River Canyon State Park, Bortle 3 Indiana Dunes National Park, Bortle 4 Eden Valley County Park, Bortle 4 Yellow River State Forest, Bortle 3 Clear Lake State Park, Bortle 2 Craig Lake State Park, Bortle 2 Dr. T.K. Lawless County Park, Bortle 4 Fayette Historic State Park, Bortle 2 Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, Bortle 2 Headlands County Park, Bortle 4 Hiawatha National Forest, Bortle 2 Hoeft State Park, Bortle 3 Lake Gogebic State Park, Bortle 2 Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park, Bortle 2 Leelanau State Park, Bortle 2 Muskallonge Lake State Park, Bortle 1 Negwegon State Park, Bortle 2 Onaway State Park, Bortle 3 Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Bortle 2 Rockport State Recreation Area, Bortle 3 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Bortle 2 Sturgeon Point State Park, Bortle 2 Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Bortle 2 Thompson's Harbor State Park, Bortle 2 Wells State Park, Bortle 2 Wilderness State Park, Bortle 2 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Bortle 1 Cascade River State Park, Bortle 2 George Crosby Manitou State Park, Bortle 2 Judge C.R. Magney State Park, Bortle 1 Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Bortle 2 Temperance River State Park, Bortle 2 Beaver Creek Reserve, Bortle 4 Big Bay State Park, Bortle 2 Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Bortle 2 Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area, Bortle 3 Copper Falls State Park, Bortle 3 Devil's Lake State Park, Bortle 4 Governor Thompson State Park, Bortle 3 Newport State Park, Bortle 2 Rock Island State Park, Bortle 2 Whitefish Dunes State Park, Bortle 3 Wildcat Mountain State Park, Bortle 3 Yellowstone Lake State Park, Bortle 3 Huron-Manistee National Forest, Bortle 3 Ottawa National Forest, Bortle 2 Lowden-Miller State Forest, Bortle 4 Palos Preserves Forest Preserve (Urban Night Sky Place), Bortle 7 Beverly Shores Dark Sky Community, Bortle 4 Hawthorn Woods Dark Sky Community, Bortle 6 Homer Glen Dark Sky Community, Bortle 7 Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area, Bortle 2 Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, Bortle 2 Bluewater Outdoor Education Centre, Bortle 3 Bruce Peninsula National Park, Bortle 4 Fathom Five National Marine Park, Bortle 2 Killarney Provincial Park, Bortle 2 Lake Superior Provincial Park, Bortle 1 Manitoulin Eco Park, Bortle 2 Point Pelee National Park, Bortle 4 Bootleg Fall Star Party (star party) Bootleg Spring Star Party (star party) Great Lakes Star Gaze (star party) Isle Royale Michigan Isle Royale Michigan
Bortle 1 Bortle 2 Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5 or brighter Class not yet rated Star party

Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. Diamonds are star parties. See Michigan dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.

Camping and lodging at Isle Royale

Isle Royale has 36 campgrounds.

The nearest town with motels or inns is Copper Harbor, MI.

Dark sky places nearest Isle Royale

PlaceWhereBortleDistance
Keweenaw Dark Sky ParkMichigan287 km (54 mi)
Fort Wilkins Historic State ParkMichigan287 km (54 mi)
Judge C.R. Magney State ParkMinnesota1113 km (70 mi)
Cascade River State ParkMinnesota2151 km (94 mi)
Craig Lake State ParkMichigan2168 km (104 mi)
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State ParkMichigan2168 km (104 mi)
Pukaskwa National ParkMarathon, Canada2178 km (111 mi)
Temperance River State ParkMinnesota2181 km (113 mi)

Star parties near Isle Royale

Star partyNearDistanceUsual timing
Great Lakes Star GazeGladwin, Michigan555 km (345 mi)September new moon
Bootleg Spring Star PartyHarmon, Illinois721 km (448 mi)Spring new moon
Bootleg Fall Star PartyHarmon, Illinois721 km (448 mi)Autumn new moon
StarfestAyton, Ontario739 km (459 mi)August new moon

Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Michigan puts the dark sky places, observatories, clubs, star parties, planetariums and science centers of the state on one map, with the best night out worked out.

Observatories and astronomy clubs near Isle Royale

Nearest astronomy clubs

See observatories and astronomy clubs in Michigan. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.

Isle Royale record

Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Isle Royale
Park313
NameIsle Royale
TypeLongNational Park
Type1NP
Bortle2
NearThunder Bay, ON
StatelongMichigan
StateMI
Webhttps://www.nps.gov/isro/index.htm
Camp136
Lat48.08917
Lon-88.57917
LatLonSpotRock Harbor, Isle Royale
Elevation_m190
LandManagerNational Park Service
StatusOpen
LodgingCopper Harbor, MI
Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Harbor_(Michigan)
SQM21.99

From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.