Oracle Night Sky Charm
Welcome to the 4th edition of “Oracle Night Sky Charm”. These monthly articles are intended to help you enjoy Oracle’s Night Sky. You will also learn why it is important to protect our Night Sky Heritage.
Protecting Oracle’s Night Sky Charm
Many of Oracle’s adult residents grew up under Oracle’s night sky back in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. They were fortunate to easily see the Milky Way and many, many stars. These residents in Oracle still get to see the Milky Way and many stars, but it is not quite the beautiful dark night sky they saw as children. These residents and many new residents of Oracle want to protect Oracle’s Night Sky Heritage for the benefit of future generations. Protecting the dark night sky does a lot more than just let humans still see stars. All life on Planet Earth evolved over millions of years with a day-night cycle. That cycle is being interrupted with increasing Artificial Light at Night (whether indoor or outdoor). Humans, wildlife, insects, and even plants all depend on a dark nighttime environment, free of Light Pollution. Medical research has shown a correlation of Artificial Light at Night to severe health issues in humans. It also interferes with migration and hunting habits of wildlife, and can cause diseases in plants. Wasted energy generation from unnecessary lighting contributes to climate change, and wastes billions of residential, business, and government tax dollars every year. Are lights from your residential, business, or government facility neighbors shining into your backyard, your bedroom, or reflecting off your TV screen? Do your lights shine onto your neighbor’s property? This type of Light Pollution is known as Light Nuisance and Light Trespass. Remember, good outdoor lighting is not only “eye friendly”, it is also “neighbor friendly” and “community friendly”. Protecting the natural nocturnal environment is actually simple. Just follow the “Five Lighting Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting” shown at the top of this page.
Go outside on a moonless night and look up. The night sky is part of your shared environment and heritage. Protect it, enjoy it, relax under the stars, and join the rest of us on planet Earth in looking up.
Oracle State Park works to Protect the Night Sky
Oracle State Park was invited to participate in the Tucson Astronomy Festival on 22 March 2025. Park Manager Sinda Sutton and Park Volunteer and Dark Sky Advocate Mike Weasner were there to answer questions about the Park.
The Park was also invited to participate in the Fountain Hills Dark Sky Festival on 29 March 2025. Fountain Hills is an “International Dark Sky Community”, something which the community of Oracle aspires to be in the future (contact Mike Weasner, mweasner@mac.com to learn how you can help the effort). Park Ranger Michael Bain and Volunteer Mike Weasner supported this event.
Star Party
There will be Star Party at the Park on Saturday, 26 April. This will be the annual celebration of Oracle State Park becoming the first Arizona State Park to be designated as an “International Dark Sky Park” in 2014 and a celebration of “International Dark Sky Week 2025” (21-28 April).
If there is something you would like discussed in “Oracle Night Sky Charm”, email Mike Weasner at mweasner@mac.com. Mike has been a volunteer at Oracle State Park since 2014 and is a past Vice President and past President of Friends of Oracle State Park.