Spotlights

The world’s first International Dark Sky City is taking the next step from awareness to dark sky restoration through the implementation of a simple, enforceable, and effective lighting code, The Flagstaff Solution.

The seasonal shadow trackers of Teasdale Community Park in Wayne County, Utah are one-quarter of the way through their astronomical journey and creation of a new solar kiosk - place where residents and visitors can gather, experience, and admire the Earth...

Looking back at 2023, the Dark Sky Cooperatives had several notable accomplishments aimed at promoting and protecting the exceptional night skies of the Western U.S.

We celebrate our time with light and darkness on this winter solstice with a history of holiday lighting and personal reflection.

Got Stars, Central Oregon? is a project supported by the 2023 Visit Central Oregon Future Fund and a consortium of organizations to educate residents and visitors about the ecologic and economic value of dark skies in Central Oregon.

An interview with Matthias Schmitt, Astronomy Guide, Night Sky Program Coordinator at Cedar Breaks National Monument, and eclipse chaser, on the development of a partnership with an International Dark Sky place in Australia.

The Dark Skies course at Salt Lake Community College offers 3 CE credits to Utah-licensed Electrical Contractors. Students learn the benefits, specifications, and installation of fixtures that comply with municipal dark sky codes and ordinances.

Utah’s Dark Sky Passport is a new educational tool to connect youth and their families to the cosmos while encouraging an appreciation for nighttime environments and the precious night sky resource that exists in Utah and the greater Colorado Plateau regi...

Voices of dark sky advocates are needed to respond to a new Proposed Public Lands Rule (Federal Register, 4/3/23) to encourage the BLM to recognize the importance of dark skies and to manage it with the same level of protection as land, water, and air.

Recognized as the Loneliest Highway in America, U.S. Route 50 runs through central Nevada, a place with more mountain ranges, some of the darkest night skies, and sacred connections of a people that go back thousands of years.

Lights Outs! This conservation effort is aimed to protect birds during their spring and fall migrations every March-May and August-October. The Birds and Brew event in Salt Lake City is co-hosted by Audubon Rockies and Tracy Aviary, to spread the word on ...

The program includes four interactive virtual meetings focused on ways to minimize light pollution and support the preservation and promotion of dark night skies. Through organized discussion with key speakers, stakeholders, and experts in the field, and ...

The Oregon Dark Sky Tourism Toolkit was developed to help communities, businesses, public and tribal land managers, non-profits, and destination management organizations (DMOs) learn about the many benefits of embracing “dark sky friendly” practices and h...

Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation (NDOR) and the City of Boulder City, Nevada are awarded $1.9 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This funding will support Nevada’s Dark Sky Initiative and will be used to purchase and i...

This spotlight presents information shared during a series of interviews with dark sky community champions on the challenges and promises to ensure night-friendly lighting through the development of outdoor lighting ordinances.

Park to Park in the Dark is Nevada’s first astrotourism route that connects two International Dark Sky Parks Death Valley National Park and Great Basin National Park, via Highways US-95 and US-6, and the rural communities along the route: Beatty, Goldfiel...

Guided stargazing involves lying on your back in a relaxed position and immersing yourself in the night sky for at least half an hour, observing the stars. An audio file guides your gaze and helps you experience the fascinating process of the eye’s dark a...

Areas that are far away from city lights and that also have interesting landscapes make the Basin and Range Dark Sky Cooperative region exceptional for astrophotography. Shooting in the BRDSC offers an incredible amount of opportunity for nightscape shoot...

The Great Basin National Heritage Area was designated by Congress in 2006 and includes White Pine County, Nevada; Millard County, Utah; and the Ely Shoshone, Duckwater Shoshone, Goshute and Utah Kanosh-Paiute nations.

Light pollution from satellites and space junk may soon rival skyglow from the Earth’s cities.

The Institute of Outdoor Recreation & Tourism at USU becomes new home to the Western Dark Sky Cooperatives

The National Park Service created the Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Division 20 years ago to inventory natural resources and monitor some of those resources over time.

Studying the details of the natural landscape and the night sky, and the processes of their formation, became my principal focus of interest.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was passed in 1969 requiring federal decision makers to fully consider the environmental impacts of a proposed action.

The Japanese say that there is not a man in the full moon, but a rabbit. It is much easier to see a rabbit than a man. Similarly, we can learn to see the rabbit in our obstacles. Viewing challenges in different ways can help us get past them.

Why is using artificial light sources to light up landscapes, rock formations, or other park features prohibited at parks such as Arches National Park?

Dark skies are integral to my mental health and well being. Growing up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I only knew perfectly clear night skies, flickering stars, fluorescent galaxies, and dancing auroras. Looking up to the sky after closing time let my min...

To celebrate its new position as the world leader in dark sky preservation, Governor Spencer Cox of Utah declared April 2021 as “Utah Dark Sky Month.”

Shooting night skies is a special experience because it allows me to capture the brilliance of the universe in a photograph and bring forth a volume of light that may not be seen so simply by the naked eye.

NNL’s are natural sites found across the country that best illustrate the nations biological and geological heritage. Landmark sites are deemed nationally significant based on their outstanding condition, illustrative character, rarity, diversity and valu...

Policy matters. Advocacy works. We must use our voices to speak loudly together for continued dark sky protection in Utah and beyond. I encourage anyone who loves the night skies to get involved and become an advocate.

The Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (NSNSD) is located within the Natural Resources Stewardship and Science Directorate of the United States National Park Service. The NPS Organic Act, Management Policies and Director’s Orders provide NSNSD with a...

If you’ve visited a National Park, National Monument, BLM or Forest Service visitor center or book store on public lands, chances are you’ve met a “Cooperating Association” – a nonprofit partner of a public land agency working in support of education, sci...

For the majority of us, what we see of the night sky from where we live is a partial reality. In fact, most of humanity is now living under a lesser version of the natural night sky without even realizing what has been lost. If you are reading this, you m...

To provide a platform for sharing resources and information, increasing dialogue, and providing mutual support for the diverse groups of night sky conservation advocates throughout the Western United States, the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative in pa...

Los Alamos is a small town of some 20,000 residents in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. The town is well known for being home to the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and is bordered to the south and west by two National Park System units: ...

The University of Utah is home to a unique transdisciplinary academic program – the newly developed Dark Sky Studies (DSS) Minor, recently approved by the Utah Board of Regents.

Many people don’t realize that most songbirds that migrate do so at night. It isn’t something we think about as we lie in bed, but on a given spring night there could be hundreds, or even millions of birds flying high above us through the dark sky.

The kid grew up in the town of Kanab, Utah. Well, he tried to “grow up” but never could get the hang of it. His decade older sister calls him “The mean widdle kid” – a reference to a role played by comedian Red Skelton.

Mayor Peterman reached out to the University of Utah to build a partnership and work together to conserve the town’s rural night sky. Through this valuable partnership, Helper will receive important resources, knowledge, and technology while students will...

Nevada Northern Railway’s Star Train offers a truly unique experience. On select summer evenings, the Star Train pulls out of Ely to take visitors on a journey to experience what our ancestors saw when they looked up into the night sky hundreds of years a...

Imagine yourself on a warm summer night camping far from city lights. The night is dark, but the sky glows subtly with points, veils, and occasional streaks of light. Over the course of a few hours, you watch as these sources of light move across the sky....

There are certain sections on the reservation where new constructions are permitted but the rest of the 122,000 acres remains untouched. The Paiute are caretakers of the land because we come from the land, live off the land, and then go back to the land....

My grandpa named the town after my grandma when the U.S. Postmaster General sent back his application for post office names (Schnebly Station and Oak Creek Crossing were too long to fit on the Arizona Territory cancellation stamp). Sedona was rather embar...

Natural night sky environments are restorative inspirational places for people and are essential for all living things on our planet. In today’s developed world there are very few places where we can access a truly natural night sky.

A century ago, star-filled night skies were taken for granted. Today, our night skies are imperiled and our national parks are among the few places we can see the stars as our ancestors did.

The Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation, following direction from the 2019 Utah Legislative session (House Concurrent Resolution 4), has launched a new initiative aimed at getting kids outdoors to enjoy nature and realize the benefits of being active.

Dark Skies Paonia is a 501c3 non-profit organization working towards the goal of International Dark Sky Community Certification for the Town of Paonia, Colorado. Dark Skies Paonia was formed by a group of community members who enjoy the night sky but are ...

Humans have always altered the natural world to better meet our needs and wants. Indeed, many other species alter the physical environment to create better conditions. These animals are called ecosystem engineers.

How cool would it be to create a facility in Kanab, Utah, for students, residents and visitors to learn about the wonders of outer space, and to see, maybe even for the very first time, what’s really out there?

In modern astronomy, the International Astronomical Union officially recognizes 88 constellations. 42 represent animals, 29 represent inanimate objects, and 17 represent humans or mythological characters.

Amazing Earthfest is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Kanab, Utah, established in 2007 to produce an annual public festival celebrating National and State Parks, National Forests, Monuments and Public Lands of the Colorado Plateau, delivering exper...

IDA is dedicated to protecting the night skies for present and future generations with goals to advocate for the protection of the night sky, educate the public and policymakers about night sky conservation, promote environmentally responsible outdoor lig...

Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley was founded in 1999 with the primary purpose of limiting light pollution of the night sky in the towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, CO. After many years spent diligently working with and educating the local communi...