Flagstaff, Arizona: The Best Place for Astronomers

Flagstaff, Arizona, a small, quaint city of 58,000, nestled between the Colorado Plateau and the San Francisco Peaks, is the world's first International Dark Sky City. Since the inception of the Lowell Observatory at the end of the 19th century, Flagstaff has been a champion of the cosmos. It is one of the world's best havens for astronomers. The city has been fighting and regulating light pollution for the past fifty years, leading conservation efforts to preserve the purity of the night skies.

Flagstaff's history with the stars began back in 1894 when Massachusetts astronomer Percival Lowell asked A.E. Douglas to find the perfect site to build an observatory. Douglas chose Flagstaff, then a small town, sitting 7,000 feet above sea level. Lowell, inspired by his belief that there may be intelligent life on Mars, founded the Lowell Observatory. The famous 24-inch Clark telescope was installed there in 1896. Fourteen years after Lowell's death, Flagstaff astronomers discovered Pluto. Then in the 1960's, the Clark telescope was used to map the moon for the Apollo Lunar expeditions.

Flagstaff has contributed so much to the world of astronomy that the city has an asteroid named after it - Asteroid 2118 Flagstaff. And because of the commitment of Flagstaff's astronomers, it was honored with the title of International Dark Sky City on October 24, 2001. The city's darkness preservation efforts go back to 1958 when searchlights were banned because they interfered with the work of the astronomers. By 1973, Flagstaff passed an ordinance that required business to keep a low level of lighting. In 1989, the city set restrictions on the number of lumens used per acre for each area, based on its proximity to the observatories. The city's efforts have reduced light pollution by half.

Flagstaff has made a region-wide effort to promote quality lighting and fend off light pollution. Light pollution is an environmental issue, as overused light wastes energy, costing the United States alone from 5 to 10 billion annually. But it also is a problem when light escapes into the night sky, blocking the view of the stars. Flagstaff has replaced all of its up-directed lighting fixtures with pole-mounted fully shielded fixtures.

Because of the efforts of the city, the people of Flagstaff have the honor of looking up into the night sky and actually seeing the Milky Way, something few Americans are able to do. They have pioneered the battle against light pollution, setting and maintaining the highest quality lighting standards. Since Flagstaff's efforts, other cities in Arizona have followed their lead, including Pheonix. And both Italy and the Czech Republic have become International Dark Sky Countries.

Sources:

AZDaily Sun