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Big Sky Astronomy Club News
Updated January 28, 2012
Ongoing Astronomy Program at Glacier National Park
The astronomy program at Glacier National Park concluded another successful season with two Logan Pass Star Parties being held on 30th of July and the 27th of August, 2011. About a dozen embers of the BSAC brought their telescopes to the Visitor Center parking lot for the estimated 500 attendees at each event to view the night sky.
Evening astronomy programs continued at the St. Mary visitor center during the Summer of 2011, with solar viewing from 1 to 4pm and nighttime observing starting at dusk and continuing as long as there were guests to use the scopes. Plans are being made for a similar program on the west side of the park at Apgar and Lake McDonald Lodge during the 2012 visitor season. Check our Events Page for updated information.
Lone Pine star party held on July 9
Last year, the Lone Pine event was more than just a star party. We had special Guests from the Glacier National Park astronomy program and a representative from the International Dark Sky Association. Ray Stinson, who hosts the park's Astronomy Program at East Glacier, gave a presentation before our observing session and Dave Ingram, of the Dark Skies Northwest Chapter gave a presentation on Light Pollution to our Club Members. It was a fun event for all. We always look forward to our first star part of the year and another chance to get our scopes out.
City of Kalispell Lighting Ordinance
In 2005, after several months of effort led by the Kalispell Planning Office, the City of Kalispell adopted a Lighting Ordinance. The Planning Board held several meetings and invited public input on the proposed ordinance. During these meetings, members of the Big Sky Astronomy Club's Dark Skies Committee offered many helpful suggestions.
The new lighting ordinance is now in effect, meaning that any new residential or commercial lighting must conform to the standards, which include full cutoff lighting fixtures, prohibits "light trespass" and eliminates glare on neighboring properties and the night sky. In addition, the ordinance is "retroactive", meaning that current homeowners and business owners who have non-conforming lighting will have to eventually retrofit their existing lighting. Originally, compliance was to have been completed by January 1, 2009, with two one-year extensions available for hardship cases. However, due to the poor state of the economy, enforcement of the retroactive portion of the code were delayed. The current effenctive date of the Lignting Stantdards for all commercial installations is January 1, 2010 (with a one-year extension available) and those for residential lighting remains January 1, 2007.
The text of the Lighting Regulations are contained in the City of Kalispell Zoning Ordinance (Section 27.26). A PDF version of the Zoning Ordinance is available for download by clicking here.
Club's Dark Sky Efforts Featured In Missoulian Article
Missoulian Staff Writer Michael Jamison has produced a wonderful article in the Sunday, January 16, 2005 Missoulian featuring our club's efforts to promote its "Dark Skies Initiative". Mr. Jamison contacted us early last week, indicating his interest in our efforts and his desire to do a feature article on light pollution. The result of his interviews with us and local government officials is an excellent piece that appeared on the front page of the Missoulian newspaper. A "PDF" version of the article can be downloaded by clicking here. From all of us here at the Big Sky Astronomy Club, a galactic-sized "thank you" goes out to Mr. Jamison.
BSAC "Dark Sky" Efforts Gain A Supporter
Much to the delight of the BSCA's club members, very well written, thought provoking and intelligent "Guest Opinion" appeared in the Thursday, March 18 edition of the Daily InterLake newspaper. Mr. James Conner, a long-time valley resident, authored the piece entitled "Bright Lights, Little Sky". In it, Mr. Conner describes quite eloquently how light pollution and light trespass has increased over the last two decades here in the Flathead Valley, dramatically reducing the visibility of the stars in our night sky. If you missed Mr. Conner's guest opinion, you can download a PDF version by clicking here.
Mr. Conner's timing couldn't have been better. With the Club's March meeting scheduled for the very next evening and the topic of the Club's program being "dark skies, the Club invited Mr. Conner as a special guest.
All in all, it was a very successful and rewarding workshop.
