Beverly Shores International Dark Sky Community

Beverly Shores is a small town on the south shore of Lake Michigan in northwest Indiana, east of the Chicago area. It covers 5.83 square miles, and Indiana Dunes National Park surrounds it on the east, west and south, with the lake to the north, so locals call it The Island. The International Dark-Sky Association (now DarkSky International) named it the world's seventh International Dark Sky Community on June 24, 2014. The town first adopted outdoor lighting rules in 1983 and expanded them for the application. Residents raised most of the money to retire 13 of the town's 61 streetlights and replace the rest with dark sky friendly fixtures.

Chicago is close, so this is no remote desert sky, and our light pollution estimate is Bortle 7. The National Park Service says Lake Michigan's huge footprint to the north keeps the sky near the lakefront much darker than the surrounding area. Its recommended night spot is Kemil Beach, between Indiana Dunes State Park and Beverly Shores, where the beach and parking lot are open 24 hours. Other park lots close at 9 or 11 p.m. Central time, and camping in parking lots or along roads is not allowed. The NPS also notes that the northern lights occasionally show here, so a clear view north over the lake pays off.

The Milky Way core peaks about 19 degrees above the southern horizon at this latitude, which puts it over land and toward the region's skyglow. Our data shows the most core hours in May, June and July.