Next TAAA Monthly Meeting: Friday June 5, 2026
TAAA’s next general member meeting will be held on Friday June 5,, 2026 at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory Lecture Hall auditorium room N210 at 933 N Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ. The Main Presentation will start at 6:30 PM. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in person and on social media). TAAA Members can attend in person or by Zoom (link at the bottom of the email announcement to members). The public may attend in person or public streaming is available at https://www.youtube.com/@tucsonamateurastronomyasso2702/streams. The meeting will be available afterwards on that same YouTube channel.
Previous: Friday May 1, 2026
Title: A Southern Arizona Dark-Sky Update: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Tucson has long billed itself as the “world capital of astronomy,” and it is the origin point of the global dark-skies movement. Proactive efforts in public policy and lighting design practice have slowed the increase of regional nighttime light emissions relative to other parts of the Southwest, but population growth and economic development concerns put upward pressure on demand for artificial light at night (ALAN). Local dark-sky advocacy efforts aim to counter this trend with actionable goals for reducing ALAN consumption while enhancing nighttime community safety, security, and amenity. In this talk, John will review the state of affairs involving light pollution in the area and the efforts of DarkSky Southern Arizona to pursue effective solutions during the first three-year strategic planning term since the group’s organizational 2023 reboot. In addition, John will describe the trends and opportunities that can strengthen our region’s leadership on outdoor lighting issues.
Presenter: John Barentine
John Barentine is the Principal Consultant at Dark Sky Consulting, LLC. He earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin and previously held staff positions at the National Solar Observatory, Apache Point Observatory, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the International Dark-Sky Association (now DarkSky). He is a member of the American Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and co-founder of the Center for Space Environmentalism. His interests outside of astronomy and light pollution research include history, politics, law, and current events.
Photo: Kitt Peak telescope domes silhouetted against skyglow from Tucson, April 15, 2026.
Credit: John Barentine
