Question about the light pollution at the new state park observatory near Flagstaff

I drove out to the Lowell Observatory's new public viewing site last weekend and was honestly shocked that the parking lot lights weren't fully shielded, which seems like a huge oversight for a place built for dark skies (and kind of defeats the whole purpose, you know?).

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_gibson2mo ago

Kind of defeats the whole purpose" feels a bit strong. Maybe they're still working out the kinks? I was there a month ago and noticed they had those lights on a timer, so they're not on all night. Isn't it better to have some safe lighting for people walking back to their cars than none at all? The actual viewing area is pretty far from that lot and felt really dark to me.

the_jennifer2mo ago

Yeah, claire_gibson has a point about safety. See this everywhere now. Parks adding bright lights that ruin the night sky, but then the parking lot is pitch black. It's like they half fix one problem and make another. Can't ever find a good balance. Just pick a lane, you know?

blair_webb2mo ago

Actually read an article last week about how Flagstaff has strict dark sky rules for a reason. Seems weird they'd mess up the basics at a new observatory lot. Timers help, but bad fixtures still spray light up where it shouldn't go. You'd think they'd get that right from day one.