Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition

Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition History

The Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition (FDSC) celebrates promotes, and protects the glorious dark skies of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona. On October 24th, 2001, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) designated the City of Flagstaff as the world’s first “International Dark-Sky City”.

Percival Lowell at the Clark Telescope

Percival Lowell searched for life on Mars through the Clark Telescope at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.

Beginning with the arrival of Percival Lowell and his Clark Telescope in 1894, Flagstaff has become one of the premier deep space research sites in the world. Our small city of around 63,000 citizens is the home of Lowell Observatory, the U.S. Naval Observatory's Flagstaff Station, and the National Undergraduate Research Observatory. The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) sits atop Anderson Mesa some 15 miles south of the city, and the Discovery Channel Telescope is being built by Lowell Observatory 40 miles to the southeast near Happy Jack.

Northern Arizona is also a dark-sky refuge for hundreds of resident amateur astronomers and thousands of visitors from around the world.

On April 15, 1958 the Flagstaff City Council passed Ordinance #440. This simple resolution banned advertising search lights that threatened to mar the night sky for a growing population of professional astronomers. 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of that historic event and the beginning of a dark skies movement that is spreading across the world (see National Geographic Magazine's “Our Vanishing Night.”)

FDSC is a section of the International Dark-Sky Association. In 2001 we kicked off our first major public education and awareness effort with our Stars Up/Lights Down Campaign. In October and November of that year we held our first Celebration of the Night, a five-week series of dark skies events and an art exhibition, NightVisions.

In 2002 we launched the Million Lumens Campaign to help Flagstaff area businesses upgrade their obsolete lighting by offering rebates on replacement fixtures and lighting design costs.

Smithsonian CultureFest came to town in 2006 to help celebrate the beauty and science of our night skies as one of the “ true cultural treasures of Arizona.” Two packed days of exhibits and events included pianist Liz Story in concert, a multi-media art exhibition, Native American tales of the night sky, Human Nature Dance Theatre, Lowell Observatory tours, and a U.S. Naval Observatory Open House.

In 2008 a series of 50th anniversary events marked our third Celebration of the Night.

The fourth Celebration of the Night occurred in 2011.

Last edited January 21, 2012