If anyone else is interested in the fate of dark skies, please consider submitting comment to the FCC about Reflect Orbital and SpaceX. There are two important deadlines coming up tmrw and the 9th.
Reflect Orbital is hands down one of the worst ideas I’ve seen, with almost comically ghoulish plans for satellite-mounted mirrors as “sunlight on demand.”
https://darksky.org/news/two-satellite-proposals-threaten-the-night-sky-the-window-to-act-is-now
RE: https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/116161149603554205
READ
❝ There are over 600 comments submitted on Reflect Orbital's filing ❞
AS
❝ There are over 600 comments submitted on Rectal Orbiting filing ❞
and you did too.
Can we have vibrant cities AND #DarkSkies? Lighting designer Vellachi Ganesan shares how precision optics and smart tech are revolutionary advancements for creating better outdoor spaces and protecting the night sky.
http://www.darkskyconsulting.com/blog/vellachi-ganesan-interview-mar2026
"'All you need is a chair and a view': could daily 'dusking' make us healthier and happier?
An old Dutch ritual of going outside to watch the coming of night – or dusking – is having a revival across Europe. Fans of the practice say it’s a great way to disconnect from screens and find peace"
by Rachel Dixon
Sun 1 Mar 2026 00.00 EST
An old Dutch ritual of going outside to watch the coming of night – or dusking – is having a revival across Europe. Fans of the practice say it’s a great way to disconnect from screens and find peace
From Empty Observatory to Fully Remote Telescopes
The observatory was built.
Power was run.
Internet was live.
The roof rolled back.
But inside? Nothing.
No telescopes. Just empty structures waiting to actually do what they were designed for.
So i brought in the gear.
This wasn’t my equipment. These were full remote imaging systems that will live their entire lives under dark skies, operated from hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres away.
Two telescopes.
Precision mounts.
Cameras.
Mini PCs.
Power distribution.
Networking.
Automation.
Everything installed from scratch.
Balanced, wired, configured, tested, and commissioned to run completely remote. Once i left, the only thing touching these systems would be photons.
From empty observatories to fully operational remote telescopes.
This is what it actually takes to turn a structure in the middle of nowhere into a working remote imaging system.
#Astrophotography #RemoteObservatory #Astronomy #Telescope #ObservatoryLife #DeepSkyImaging #NightSkyPhotography #SpaceTech #Engineering #Automation #Science #TechBuild #AstroLife #DarkSkies #YouTubeCreator
“‘Starstruck’ is set in the fictitious Idaho mountain town Sawtooth, where Malone’s character, a park ranger and amateur astronomer named Cyd DeBerg, is trying to establish a Dark Sky Reserve, where lights are banned at night to allow for stargazing. Idaho is home to America’s first designated Dark Sky Reserve, established in 2017, giving the musical real-world grounding.” (h/t @imherzen)
https://whyy.org/articles/starstruck-bucks-county-playhouse-emily-saliers-indigo-girls/
"The question is not whether the night sky will change – it’s already changing. Now is the time for governments and international institutions to design fair processes before those changes become permanent."
Ann
your auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦
Dr. John Barentine FRAS
John Carlsen 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇪🇺
AstroPuNk
Miguel L.
Curt Johnson - Indie Genius
Raurquiz