What is a dark sky worth? It is priceless, some would say. Think about it this month during International Dark Sky Week, April 13-20, 2026.
Light pollution threatens dark starry skies all around the world. Not limited to major urbanized areas, excess artificial light at night disrupts life cycles of nocturnal animals and interferes with sleep of diurnal ones, including humans. It can disrupt with bird migration by distracting and confusing nocturnal migrants’ orientation and inducing window collisions. And it takes away the wonder and cultural heritage of a sky full of constellations and the luminous band of the Milky Way.
Audubon is a partner of Dark Sky International in their efforts to reduce light pollution. Beginning in 1956, Audubon persuaded the Empire State Building to turn off lights during migration seasons. More recently, Lights Out campaigns in cities around North America have saved birds and raised awareness about our over-lit nighttime environment.
Among local events planned for this week is a webinar presentation by Jeff Pfaller titled “Dark Skies: Rare Phenomena in America’s Public Lands,” at 7:00 p.m (MDT) on Friday, April 17. The webinar is sponsored jointly by NM Wild and NM Dark Sky. There will be a live screening at Santa Fe Community College, in lecture hall 215, in the west wing next to the Planetarium.
We can all help:
- Turn off outdoor lights that aren’t needed
- Replace or shield outdoor lights that cause glare or shine upward
- Close curtains, shades or blinds to keep indoor light indoors
- Support ordinances and legislation to reduce light pollution
- Support dark sky organizations (DSI, NMDS)
