Dark Skies Festival

In celebration of International Dark Sky Week, join McDonald Observatory and community partners for events showcasing West Texas’s famous dark skies. Events will be held April 22-27 at McDonald Observatory and locations throughout Fort Davis, Alpine, Marfa, and Terlingua.

In addition to its regular public programs, Dark Skies Festival events at McDonald Observatory will include special talks, tours, Star Parties, and more. Visitors receive free general admission all week, Tuesday-Saturday, 12-5 p.m. If reserving general admission tickets online, use discount code DarkSky. Locals of the surrounding Dark Skies region can reserve free Star Party passes for the week with discount code Local25.

Leading up to Dark Skies Festival, McDonald Observatory will host a special livestream showcasing telescope views of the cosmos and a discussion of the impact of artificial light. Tune in April 16 at 9:15 p.m. CT.

Festival Events

Tuesday, April 22

  • 8 p.m. - Special Talk: Dark for the Park Alliance: Collaborating to Improve Lighting in the Permian Basin (see below) at McDonald Observatory (event included with purchase of a ticket to the evening's Star Party)
  • 9:15 p.m. - Star Party at McDonald Observatory ($5-25)

Wednesday, April 23

Thursday, April 24

Friday, April 25

Saturday, April 26

  • 9 a.m.-noon - Outreach Activities at the Alpine Farmers Market (free)
  • 11 a.m. - Special Talk: Bugs that Go Bump in the Night at Fort Davis National Historic Site (free for visitors with site entry passes)
  • 2 p.m. - Astrophotography Talk: Empowering Wounded Veterans to Heal Through Photography at the Alpine Public Library (free)
  • 2 p.m. - Special Talk: How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch: History of the Universe at Fort Davis National Historic Site (free for visitors with site entry passes)
  • 4 p.m. - Astrophotography Talk: Empowering Wounded Veterans to Heal Through Photography (see below) at McDonald Observatory (free)
  • 8 p.m. - Special Talk: How COMPASSE Helps Preserve Dark and Radio-Quiet Skies (see below) at McDonald Observatory (event included with purchase of a ticket to the evening's Star Party at McDonald Observatory)
  • 9 p.m. - Star Party at Kokernot Park Soccer Field in Alpine (free)
  • 9:15 p.m. - Star Party at McDonald Observatory ($5-25)

Sunday, April 27

 

 

Talks at McDonald Observatory

Tuesday, April 22 at 8 p.m.
Dark for the Park Alliance: Collaborating to Improve Lighting in the Permian Basin
A discussion of the dark sky efforts underway in the oil and gas industry.

Speakers: Alexandra Fleming and Stephen Hummel

Alexandra Fleming, New Mexico Regulatory Advisor Chevron USA Inc, NMOGA Workgroup Co-Chair ‘Dark for the Park Alliance’

Alexandra Fleming is a New Mexico Regulatory Advisor for Chevron’s Permian Basin assets and co-chairs the NMOGA ‘Dark for the Park Alliance’ workgroup focused on better lighting practices for industry while maintaining safety and security.

Previously, Alexandra was a technical geologist for unconventional onshore and conventional deepwater development, utilizing data analytics, machine learning, regional seismic mapping, and whole rock core description. She joined Chevron in 2010.

Alexandra grew up in New Mexico and holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in Earth Science and Italian Language and Literature, and a master’s degree in Geology from Colorado School of Mines. She is a registered Professional Geologist in Wyoming (License Number PG-4127). She enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, and playing soccer with her family.

Stephen Hummel, McDonald Observatory Dark Skies Initative Coordinator

Stephen Hummel is the Dark Skies Initiative coordinator for McDonald Observatory. He works with surrounding communities, external partners, and industries on outdoor lighting practices to preserve dark skies. He uses scientific methods to measure and track changes in artificial sky brightness at McDonald Observatory and surrounding parks and protected places.

 

Friday, April 25 at 8 p.m.
Celebration of the Dark: Earth's Night Sky and Artificial Lighting
Learn about the benefits of dark night skies, the impacts of artificial lights, and how properties can be made "night sky friendly."

Speaker: Ryan Cantrell

Ryan Cantrell, Public Programs Facilitator, McDonald Observatory

Ryan is a public programs facilitator at the Visitor Center at McDonald Observatory and ambitious towards preserving and educating about dark skies. When he is not on the job, Ryan enjoys traveling, working on his car, and helping with the Observatory's emergency response team.

 

Saturday, April 26 at 4 p.m.
Empowering Wounded Veterans to Heal Through Photography
A presentation on dark skies and the work CreatiVets is doing with astrophotography. CreatiVets’ goal is to offer opportunities for relief and healing for the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country. They use various forms of art, including songwriting, visual arts, music, and creative writing to help disabled veterans cope with service-related trauma (i.e., post-traumatic stress, or PTS) by fostering self-expression in a way that allows them to transform their stories of trauma and struggle into an art form that can inspire and motivate continued healing.

Speakers: George Hamilton and Kyle Yepsen

George Hamilton, Owner of Spear 3 Photography
George Hamilton is an Austin-based photographer and amateur storm chaser. He spent approximately 10 years in the active Army with multiple deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan, and then entered business America where he works as a Senior Director in a supply chain start-up based out of Seattle, WA. He also remains a Soldier in the United States Army Reserve and is approaching 20 years of total service.
 
Today, George is the owner and sole proprietor of Spear 3 Photography and works to share his love of the art form with others through instruction and volunteering with CreatiVets.
 
Kyle Yepsen, Deputy Director of CreatiVets
Kyle has spent time living and traveling around the world, is a graduate of Texas Christian University’s Neeley School of Business and now lives in Nashville, TN. Over the last 20 years, Kyle started a number of small businesses including Texas Track Works, which specializes in building custom BMW and Porsche race cars.
 
In 2017, Kyle stepped away from the racing community to focus on improving the lives of our nation’s military veterans. Currently, Kyle is the deputy director for CreatiVets, helping wounded veterans heal from the effects of post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries, and other service-related trauma through art and music.

 

Saturday, April 26 at 8 p.m.
How COMPASSE Helps Preserve Dark and Radio-Quiet Skies
Learn how the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Committee for the Protection of Astronomy and the Space Environment (COMPASSE) is helping preserve dark and radio-quiet skies by advocating for the safe and sustainable use of outer space. Concerns that COMPASSE focuses on include light pollution, the proliferation of satellites (which can impact telescope observations), the increasing occurrence of space debris falling to the ground, the future of FCC-requested NSF coordination agreements, and more.

Speaker: Teznie Pugh

Teznie Pugh, Superintendent, McDonald Observatory

Teznie Pugh earned her Ph.D. in astronomy from Western University in Ontario, Canada, focusing on the study of high-resolution spectra of red supergiant stars. Her career includes roles at Lowell Observatory, where she served as Discovery Channel Telescope specialist, operations manager, and interim deputy director of technology. In 2020, Pugh joined the McDonald Observatory team as superintendent. A passionate advocate for astronomical site protections, she currently co-chairs the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Committee for the Protection of Astronomy and the Space Environment (COMPASSE) and was instrumental in the founding of the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve in 2022.