What space missions and events are you most excited about for this year?NEWS | 27 February 2026Dark Sky Preservation! is My Passion. It's Everywhere in the News, and it is all about time, all about space! Did you see the new DarkSky One car at the Detroit Auto Show?
I was digging for artificial light radiance levels, sqm readings, and more when I caught YOUR FB post with mention of dark sky events and thought I would take a look to use for our wvbi.net community calendar/darkskyevent calendar, which I fill each month.
Before I go on about that, a line in the article caught my eye, " It’s not inaccurate to think of the heavens as a clockwork apparatus above our head.' Which, of course, brought an image of a man walking around under the ecliptic with a pocket watch on his head. The Joke: Why did people stop using the night sky to tell time? Because it was easier to wear a watch.
Why was I digging for those numbers? I'm the media contact for the Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Spent the last 91 moons or so, enjoying the awe and wonder in the skies where I live, in a Bortle Class 2 Dark Sky. Where I can see the Milky Way and Messier objects with the naked eye, planets, and all the other magic in space.
Filled that space in time, collecting info and compiling the 100 or so pages of documentation to convince Dark Sky International that our area could be designated as a "sanctuary."
Naturally, I'm excited about the now widespread awareness of dark sky preservation and the respectful displays of scientific resources, and I hope we have a future filled with stars and wonder and awe.
So, I would love a comprehensive article about the scientific facts it takes to become designated and officially by the science, a "dark sky place" Many writers and medias are not getting it right in the details with vocabulary and such. Of course, I'd love to be asked for any minor assistance I could provide, perhaps even images.
It's a Journey through Space all right, to become a truly dark, dark sky place.
By the Way, I utilize, with permission, images and facts from EarthSky.org for limited use on our dark sky event community calendar. I will use and be grateful for the one you have created, since yours is one of the few to give dates a few months out.
I thank you so much for your time and consideration!Author: Lee Billings. Phil Plait. Source
