Capturing a Moment Under Flagstaff’s Famous Dark Skies
Coming 21 April 2022!
A moment under Flagstaff’s clear dark starry skies offers a rare, enchanting glimpse into the universe few may ever experience. The same mesmerizing night sky that, through the ages, has inspired philosophers to ponder, storytellers to imagine, shepherds to wonder, scientists to discover and lovers to dream continues to cast its hypnotic twinkling blanket across the night for those who cherish the glory of the darkness. The Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition offers a unique collection of 70 images of a captivating and tranquil night in Flagstaff, set above the iconic skyline of the sacred San Francisco Mountain. Captured in these stunning images are the North Star Polaris, constellations Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco, along with the misty star river of the Milky Way and the Great Galaxy in Andromeda. Purchasing one or more of these images as a non-fungible token (NFT) will promote the mission of dark sky champions who are dimming the artificial sky glow from urban centers around the globe for the promise of a darker future and the awe that lifts our souls when we gaze into the night.
The Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition is partnering with Discover Flagstaff to step into the world of NFTs, offering a new way to support protection of the night and spread Flagstaff’s message that night skies can be restored.
The video above shows a reduced-resolution time-lapse of the 70-image collection “A Night in Flagstaff – February 2022.” The images in the collection are high-quality 6000 X 4000 pixel JPEG images, each capturing a unique moment on the night of February 6, 2022 in Flagstaff’s Buffalo Park, site of the annual Flagstaff Star Party.
Beginning April 21 2022, lovers of dark, star-filled skies may purchase by clicking on the button below.
If you are unfamiliar with NFTs or cryptocurrencies, there are more details including “how to” instructions at our partner website with Discover Flagstaff here.
Proceeds from the NFT sales will support the purchase and placement of Eyes on Night Skies (EONS) night sky brightness monitoring stations in International Dark-Sky Places – beginning with Northern Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, and Petrified Forest National Park, then moving to International Dark-Sky Communities including Sedona, Village of Oak Creek, Camp Verde, Cottonwood and beyond. The critical scientific measurements produced by this project will support the efforts of FDSC to get out the critical message that Flagstaff has a unique solution, with proven techniques, for restoring night skies.
Polygon* has been selected for use because it is a green energy-efficient blockchain that provides secure and instant transactions with Ethereum currencies. Polygon has reduced or zero wallet initialization fees and selling and buying NFTs through Polygon is gas free.
*Polygon is a “layer two” or “sidechain” scaling solution that runs alongside the Ethereum blockchain.