Flagstaff Marks 25 Years as Dark Sky City

Flagstaff is marking 25 years as the world’s first International Dark Sky City, a designation earned in 2001 for efforts to curb light pollution and preserve views of the night sky. The city’s rules favor shielded, downward-facing fixtures and warmer, lower-intensity lighting; an Arizona transportation project recently installed more than 370 amber LED highway lights, a first for U.S. interstate highways. The Flagstaff Dark Sky Coalition also promotes dark-sky practices and recently gave Robert Plant and his band a chance to view Saturn and the nearly full moon through backstage telescopes. Anniversary events are planned for early April to coincide with International Dark Sky Week.