DarkSky International, formerly the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA),[1] is a United States–based non-profit organization incorporated in 1988 by founders David Crawford, a professional astronomer, and Tim Hunter, a physician and amateur astronomer. The mission of DarkSky is "to preserve and protect the night time environment and our heritage of dark skies through quality outdoor lighting."[2]
 | |
| Formation | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Founded at | United States |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| 74-2493011 | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Headquarters | Tucson, Arizona, United States |
Board President | Tom Reinert |
CEO & Executive Director | Ruskin Hartley |
| Tom Reinert; Nalayini Brito-Davies; Brad Schlesselman; Ken Walczak; Diane Knutson; Connie Walker; Kevin Gaston Ph.D.; Sibylle Schroer; SergioMontúfar Codoñer; Mike Simmons; Paulina Villalobos; Samyukta Manikumar; Fernando Avila Castro; Doug Barker | |
| Website | https://www.darksky.org/ |
Light pollution is the result of outdoor lighting that is not properly shielded, allowing light shine into the eyes and night sky. Direct light that shines into the eyes is called glare, and light directed into the night sky above the horizon causes skyglow. Lighting can also cause light trespass when it enters areas where unwanted (e.g. a neighbor's yard and windows). DarkSky was the first organization in the dark-sky movement, and is currently the largest.
Principal approach
editDarkSky's principal approach is to raise awareness about the value of dark, star-filled night skies and encourage their protection and restoration through education about the problems and solutions, including outdoor lighting practices that create less light pollution. In 2011, the organization had about 5,000 members in 70 countries.
International Dark Sky Places
editTo promote awareness about the issues, DarkSky has an International Dark Sky Places program that aims "to encourage communities, parks and protected areas around the world to preserve and protect dark sites through responsible lighting policies and public education". There are currently five types of designation for International Dark Sky Places: [3]
- International Dark Sky Sanctuaries
- International Dark Sky Parks
- International Dark Sky Reserves
- International Dark Sky Communities
- Urban Night Sky Places
International Dark Sky Sanctuaries
editDarkSky describes Dark Sky Sanctuaries as "the most remote (and often darkest) places in the world whose conservation state is most fragile".
- !Ae!Hai Kalahari Heritage Park South Africa, designated 2019
- Aotea / Great Barrier Island New Zealand, designated 2017[4]
- Oregon Outback, Oregon, United States, designated 2024[5][6]
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota, United States, designated 2020
- Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area[7]
- Cosmic Campground United States, designated 2016
- Devils River State Natural Area – Del Norte Unit United States, designated 2019
- Bardsey Island/Ynys Enlli – Wales (United Kingdom), designated 2023[8]
- Gabriela Mistral Dark Sky Sanctuary Elqui Valley, Chile, designated 2015
- Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument United States, designated 2020
- Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area Washoe County, Nevada, United States, designated 2019
- Medicine Rocks State Park United States, designated 2020
- Niue, designated 2020 – the first entire country to be designated.[9]
- Pitcairn Islands designated 2019[10]
- Rainbow Bridge National Monument United States, designated 2018
- Stewart Island / Rakiura New Zealand, designated 2019 [11]
- The Jump-Up Queensland, Australia, designated 2019[12]
- Kaikōura Dark Sky Sanctuary New Zealand, designated 2024[13]
International Dark Sky Parks
editDarkSky describes Dark Sky Parks as "publicly- or privately-owned spaces protected for natural conservation that implement good outdoor lighting and provide dark sky programs for visitors".
- Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States, designated 2006
- Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania, United States, designated 2008
- Galloway Forest Park, Scotland, United Kingdom, designated 2009
- Zselic National Landscape Protection Area, Hungary, designated 2009
- Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico, United States, designated 2010
- Goldendale Observatory State Park, Washington, United States, designated 2010, suspended 2016, revoked 2017
- Hortobágy National Park, Hungary, designated 2011
- The Headlands, Michigan, United States, designated 2011
- Observatory Park, Ohio, United States, designated 2011
- Big Bend National Park, Texas, United States, designated 2012
- Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas, United States, designated 2017[14]
- Death Valley National Park, California, United States, designated 2013
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, United States, designated 2013
- Northumberland National Park, England, United Kingdom, designated 2013
- Eifel National Park, Germany, designated 2014
- Mayland Community College Blue Ridge Observatory and Star Park, North Carolina, United States, designated 2014
- Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Arizona, United States, designated 2014
- Hovenweep National Monument, Utah and Colorado, United States, designated 2014[15]
- Copper Breaks State Park, Texas, United States, designated 2014
- Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Texas, United States, designated 2014
- Elan Valley Estate, Wales, United Kingdom, designated 2015[16]
- Yeongyang Firefly Eco Park, Yeongyang, South Korea, designated 2015[17]
- Mayo International Dark Sky Park, County Mayo, Ireland, designated 2016[18][19]
- Warrumbungle National Park, New South Wales, Australia, designated 2016[20][21]
- Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah, United States, designated 2016
- Wupatki National Monument, Arizona, United States, designated 2016
- Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona, United States, designated 2016
- Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona, United States, designated 2016
- Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Alberta, Canada and Montana, United States, designated 2017[22]
- Ramon Crater, Negev Desert, Israel, designated 2017[23]
- Kartchner Caverns State Park, Arizona, United States, designated 2017[24]
- Joshua Tree National Park, California, United States, designated 2017
- Newport State Park, Wisconsin, United States, designated 2017
- Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho, designated 2017[25]
- Obed Wild and Scenic River, Tennessee, United States, designated 2017
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, United States, designated 2018[26]
- Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, designated 2018
- Steinaker State Park, Utah, United States, designated 2018
- Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, Illinois, United States, designated 2018
- Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States, designated 2019
- Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado, United States, designated 2019[27]
- Hehuan Mountain, Nantou County, Taiwan, designated 2019[28]
- El Morro National Monument, New Mexico, United States, designated 2019[29]
- Kōzu-shima, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan, designated 2020
- Wai-iti Dark Sky Park, New Zealand, designated 2020[30]
- Quetico Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, designated 2021[31]
- Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, United States, designated 2021[32]
- Sky Meadows State Park, Virginia, United States, designated 2021
- City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho, United States, designated 2023[33]
- Aenos National Park, Cephalonia, Greece, designated 2023[34]
- Oxford Forest Conservation Area, North Canterbury, New Zealand, designated 2024[35]
- Kawarau Gibbston Dark Sky Park, Queenstown-Lakes District, New Zealand, designated 2024[36]
- Øvre Pasvik National Park, Sør-Varanger, Norway, designated 2024[37]
International Dark Sky Reserves
editIDA describes Dark Sky Reserves as "dark 'core' zones surrounded by a populated periphery where policy controls are enacted to protect the darkness of the core".
- Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, South Island, New Zealand, designated 2012[38]
- Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, United Kingdom, designated 2013
- Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, Idaho, United States, designated 2017
- Exmoor National Park, England, United Kingdom, designated 2011
- Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve, County Kerry, Ireland, designated 2014
- The Reserve at Mont-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada, designated 2008
- Moore's Reserve (South Downs), England, designated 2016
- NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia, Africa, designated 2012
- Pic du Midi, France, designated 2013
- Rhön Biosphere Reserve, Germany, designated 2014
- River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve, near Swan Reach, South Australia, designated 2019[39]
- Snowdonia National Park, Wales, designated 2015
- Westhavelland Nature Park, Germany, designated 2014
- Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve, New Zealand, designated 2023 [40]
International Dark Sky Communities
editDarkSky describes Dark Sky Communities as "legally organized cities and towns that adopt quality outdoor lighting ordinances and undertake efforts to educate residents about the importance of dark skies".
- Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, designated 2001
- Borrego Springs, California, United States, designated 2009
- Sark, Channel Islands, designated 2011
- Homer Glen, Illinois, United States, designated 2011
- Coll in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, designated 2013[41]
- Dripping Springs, Texas, United States, designated 2014
- Beverly Shores, Indiana, United States, designated 2014[42]
- Sedona, Arizona, United States, designated 2014[43]
- Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, Colorado, United States, designated 2015[44]
- Thunder Mountain Pootsee Nightsky, Arizona, United States, designated 2015[45]
- Bon Accord, Alberta, Canada, designated 2015[46]
- Horseshoe Bay, Texas, designated 2015
- Moffat, Scotland, designated 2016
- Big Park/Village of Oak Creek, Arizona, designated 2016
- River Oaks, Texas, Dark Sky Friendly Development of Distinction, designated 2017
- Ketchum, Idaho, designated 2017
- Møn, Denmark & Nyord, Denmark, designated 2017
- Fountain Hills, Arizona, designated 2018
- Torrey, Utah, designated 2018
- Camp Verde, Arizona, designated 2018
- Wimberley and Woodcreek, Texas designated 2018
- Lakewood Village, Texas, designated 2020
- Crestone, Colorado, designated in 2020[47]
- Groveland, Florida, designated in 2023
Urban Night Sky Places
editDarkSky describes Urban Night Sky Places as "sites near or surrounded by large urban environs whose planning and design actively promote an authentic nighttime experience in the midst of significant artificial light at night, and that otherwise do not qualify for designation within any other International Dark Sky Places category".
- Fry Family Park, Ohio, U.S., designated 2021
- Palos Preserves, Illinois, U.S., designated 2021
- Shield Ranch Barton Creek, Texas, U.S., designated 2024
- Stacy Park, Missouri, U.S., designated 2021
- Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Utah, U.S., designated 2020
- Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, U.S., designated 2019
Fixture Seal of Approval
editTo promote the use of responsible outdoor lighting that minimizes light pollution, DarkSky offers a Fixture Seal of Approval program. The program provides objective, third-party certification for lighting products that minimize glare, reduce light trespass, and do not pollute the night sky.[48]
See also
edit- Bortle Dark-Sky Scale
- Commission for Dark Skies
- CieloBuio, an Italian coordination for the protection of the night sky
- Dark-sky movement
- Dark-sky preserve
- Light pollution
- List of astronomical societies
- Sky brightness
References
edit- ^ "We have a new name and logo". www.DarkSky.org. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "IDA Mission & Goals". Archived from the original on March 28, 2009.
- ^ "International Dark Sky Places". International Dark-Sky Association. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ Maude, Simon (20 August 2017). "Great Barrier Island recognised as a Dark Sky Sanctuary". Stuff. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Oregon Outback becomes the largest International Dark Sky Sanctuary". DarkSky. 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Oregon Outback". DarkSky. 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Dark Sky Island | Beaver Island Trails". Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ Morris, Steven; Barkham, Patrick (2023-02-23). "Ynys Enlli off Welsh coast designated as a dark sky sanctuary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ Valerie Stimack (March 10, 2020). "Pacific Island Niue Becomes The World's First Dark Sky Nation". Forbes. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020.
- ^ Carter, Jamie (16 April 2019). "It Takes Two Days To Reach The Latest Super-Remote 'Dark Sky Sanctuary'. Blame Light Pollution". Forbes. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "New night sky sanctuary tipped to shine a spotlight on Stewart Island". RNZ. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ Ciampi, Marissa (18 March 2021). "The Best Places for Stargazing Around Australia". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Allen, Ian (12 September 2024). "Kaikōura, the world's newest Dark Sky Sanctuary". Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "Big Bend Ranch State Park (U.S.)". International Dark-Sky Association. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
- ^ "Hovenweep National Monument Named World's Newest International Dark Sky Park" (Press release). Tucson: SBWire. 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-14.
- ^ "Elan Valley Estate gets Dark Sky Status". ITV News. 2015-07-17. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
- ^ "Yeongyang Firefly Eco Park (South Korea)". Archived from the original on 2018-05-14. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
- ^ "First International Dark Sky Park in Ireland Receives Accreditation". IDA. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 2017-05-06.
- ^ "Mayo Dark Sky Park". ballycroynationalpark.ie. Retrieved 2017-05-06.
- ^ "Warrumbungles Becomes Australia's First 'Dark Sky Park'". Archived from the original on 2017-01-23. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
- ^ "First Dark Sky Park in Australia Designated". IDA. 2016-07-04.
- ^ "2017: Summer Guide to Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park" (PDF). nps.gov. National Park Service. p. 1. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Ramon Crater Named First International Dark Sky Place in the Mideast". IDA. 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "Fifth International Dark Sky Park in Arizona Designated". IDA. 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ Craters Of The Moon National Monument (U.S.)
- ^ "Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (U.S.)". Archived from the original on 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ "Great Sand Dunes Designated as International Dark Sky Park". IDA. 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
- ^ "Hehuan Mountain becomes Taiwan's first International Dark Sky Park". IDA. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
- ^ "El Morro National Monument Certified as an International Dark Sky Park". International Dark-Sky Association. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- ^ "International Recognition for Wai-iti Dark Sky Park". DarkSky International. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Quetico Provincial Park Awarded International Dark Sky Park Designation". 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Valles Caldera National Preserve Receives International Dark Sky Park Certification". 3 February 2021.
- ^ "City of Rocks National Reserve Achieves International Dark Sky Park Certification". International Dark-Sky Association. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ "Aenos National Park named first International Dark Sky Park in Greece". DarkSky International. 9 June 2023.
- ^ Reagan, Drew (30 January 2024). "Oxford Forest Conservation Area named New Zealand's second International Dark Sky Park". DarkSky International. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ Regan, Drew (8 May 2024). "Kawarau Gibbston becomes the seventh International Dark Sky Place in Aotearoa/New Zealand". DarkSky International. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024.
- ^ Reagan, Drew (3 July 2024). "First International Dark Sky Park certified in Norway". DarkSky International.
- ^ Gibson, Jacqui (3 August 2021). "'There's drama Everywhere': Dark Sky adventure at Takapō". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA)". International Dark-Sky Association. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ "Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve (New Zealand)". International Dark-Sky Association. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "Isle of Coll secures 'dark isle' status". BBC News. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
- ^ Keagle, Lauri Harvey (2014-06-25). "Beverly Shores named world's seventh Dark Sky Community". NWI Times. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
- ^ Heinsius, Ryan (2014-08-05). "Sedona Becomes the Newest International Dark Sky Community". KNAU. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
- ^ "Two Colorado Towns Come Together as Colorado's First International Dark Sky Community status" (PDF). IDA. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Thunder Mountain Pootsee Nightsky (U.S.)". Archived from the original on 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
- ^ "Alberta Town Named First International Dark Sky Community In Canada". International Dark-Sky Association. August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- ^ "International Dark Sky Association". International Dark-Sky Association. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
- ^ "Fixture Seal of Approval". International Dark-Sky Association. 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
