Earlier this fall, a resident shared with me a resource she found called Dark Sky International – I then ran into it again a month later at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum when I visited with my son for his birthday. Wouldn’t it be cool if our city’s night sky looked like this?

This is Flagstaff, Arizona – The first city certified in the U.S. as a “Dark Sky Community” in 2001. The idea is that with thoughtful lighting both from municipality and residents, we can all look up at night and marvel at the sky. 🙂🔭 (Btw, did anyone catch the aurora borealis earlier this year?)

A big part is just knowing the basics, like: (a) what types of lights are best, and (b) the 5 principles of outdoor lighting, as illustrated below:

And there’s absolutely no need to sacrifice safety – In fact, studies show that properly lighted areas that aren’t ‘over-lit’ are actually safer for pedestrians, homeowners, and businesses. (Ever get blinded by a car’s headlight at night and couldn’t see anything around the perimeter of the lit area? – Same thing can happen around your house or business.)

Dark Sky’s website has a plethora of resources, like:

So hopefully something in here has sparked your interest too, to search for and help preserve our ability to wonder at the sparks of beauty in our night sky! 🌃