External article by Sam Karas for Reasons to be Cheerful

Astronomers and oil refineries are working together to dim the lights of industry — and set celestial sights ablaze.

External Article by CBS 7 Midland

The Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky reserve is a 15,000 square mile region that has been designated as one of the largest dark sky places in the world.

This week, McDonald Observatory and numerous partners join in celebrating the first anniversary of the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve. Covering more than 15,000 square miles in Texas and Mexico, the Reserve is the largest dark sky place in the world certified by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).

External article in the Big Bend Times.

The City of Alpine is making strides in preserving its night sky through the Dark Skies Initiative, a partnership with McDonald Observatory and the Big Bend Conservation Alliance. The initiative supports the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, the world’s largest, covering approximately 15,000 square miles.

The night sky gets slightly darker in far west Texas, thanks to active efforts to protect it.

External Article by News West 9 Midland

External article published by the American Astronomical Society

A recent paper by Kyba et al. (2023) found that light pollution of the world’s night skies has increased by as much as 10% a year since 2011, based on star counts made by citizen scientists. This has been widely covered in the media and articles. Here, we share an overview of these results, related consequences, and one ray of hope: ground-based light pollution can be addressed through mitigating solutions that have already been successfully demonstrated.

External Article by Wired Magazine.

More than a decade of eyewitness data shows that fainter stars disappear as artificial light brightens the night sky.

External Article by the Christian Science Monitor

As the world urbanizes, dark skies are becoming increasingly vulnerable – and treasured.