by Jim Knoll

Since we don’t have any star parties to talk about and many are at home doing projects, this might be a good time to evaluate your home outdoor lighting to help preserve the dark skies. As many of you know, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) is located right here in Tucson. Their website is: https://www.darksky.org and they have lots of resources to help you out. Here are some tips to evaluate your own lighting.

– Install lighting only when and where it’s needed.

– Use energy saving features such as timers, dimmers, and motion sensors on outdoor lights. Timers work great to get your attention when they come on.

– Make sure your lighting is shielded so light shines down, not up and does not trespass on your neighbor.

– Educate your friends and neighbors about the importance of good lighting for our health, economy, and environment.

— Artificial light at night can interfere with ecological interactions like predator-prey relationships, interrupts habitat connectivity, influences species’ ability to detect seasonality, and interferes with the human circadian rhythm.

International Dark Sky week is April 19-26, 2020. Join IDA for daily virtual celebrations at: idsw.darksky.org.

Please share with your family and friends.