Big and bright From the cover
Some context
The big picture
environmental impact.” One way in which the organization encourages eorts to ght light pollution is by certifying communities, parks and other places as Interna- tional Dark Sky Places. Rymer said he sees dark sky certication as something undertaken not just by local governments but by residents as well. Several other communities in the greater Austin area are recognized as International Dark Sky Places, including Dripping Springs, Bee Cave and Jonestown. The average brightness of the night sky over Leander and Liberty Hill doubled from 2015 to 2025. MPSAS scale: Magnitudes per square arcsecond, or MPSAS, measures sky brightness. 21 19 Darker sky More light pollution
DarkSky International is a nonprot organiza- tion founded in 1988 whose stated mission is “to restore the nighttime environment and protect communities and wildlife from light pollution.” Michael Rymer, communities program manager for DarkSky International, said the group’s work is “all to improve outdoor lighting used at night, to reduce light pollution not just for a better view of the stars, but to cut costs on energy—cut waste in the energy used to illuminate our surround- ings at night when we don’t need to—and for
In February, Leander began the process of applying for recognition as an International Dark Sky Place by nonprot DarkSky International. Liberty Hill was named an International Dark Sky Place in July 2025. Both Leander and Liberty Hill currently have outdoor lighting ordinances that include stipulations such as warmer light colors, shielded xtures that direct light downward, limited brightness, restrictions on when outdoor lights may be on, and limits on light that intrudes on neighboring properties. Organized eorts to ght light pollution in Liberty Hill began in 2020 with the formation of a community group called Save Our Stars. The city then adopted a dark skies ordinance, and recognition by DarkSky International followed in 2025. Thompson said Leander rst enacted its ordinance to limit light pollution in 2005, updated it in 2016, and could be revised again as part of the Dark Sky Place application process the city is currently pursuing.
Central Texas Dark Sky Communities Leander aims to join several other Central Texas communities with ocial recognition from Dark Sky International.
1 Bee Cave 2 Blanco
8 Lost Creek 9 Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site 10 Milton Reimers Ranch Park 11 Liberty Hill 12 Leander*
Santa Rita Ranch
3 Dripping Springs 4 Enchanted Rock State Natural Area 5 Fredericksburg 6 Horseshoe Bay 7 Jonestown
Liberty Hill
183
2025
29
Leander light xture requirements
1 Light xture with shield 2 Cone of direct light 3 The public street area or home’s property line
183A
29
11
Leander
N
71
Santa Rita Ranch
12
6
Liberty Hill
183
4
2015
7
29
281
1
10
8
5
9
290
1
3
71
Austin
3
2
183A
2
35
Leander
N
N
SOURCE: CITY OF LEANDERCOMMUNITY IMPACT
*LEANDER IS CURRENTLY SEEKING A DARK SKY PLACE DESIGNATION. SOURCE: DARKSKY INTERNATIONAL, NASA, LIGHT POLLUTION MAPCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Diving in deeper
According to DarkSky International, research suggests that light pollution may also have detrimental eects on human health, primarily by shifting sleep cycles and disrupting chemical signals like melatonin, a hormone that signals to the body that it’s time to sleep. DarkSky International maintains an extensive database online with thousands of scientic research papers that explore how articial light at night impacts wildlife, ecosystems and human health.
articial light can bring them out of their natural habitats. This can kill large numbers of insects, disrupting both the food chain for larger animals and the pollination of native plants. Also, when insects move toward articially lit areas, larger animals that prey on them often follow, leading more and more animals out of the wild and into potentially dangerous developed areas. Nighttime lighting also harms birds by disrupting migration patterns and confusing them, leading to collisions with buildings.
Scientic research shows that light pollution can have complex and far-reaching eects on the environment and may also aect human health. “A lot of species travel, reproduce, migrate [and] hunt at night, so our introduction of excessive light at night into their environment is detrimental to their survival,” Rymer said. According to DarkSky International, one of the most signicant environmental impacts of light pollution begins with drawing insects out of wild areas. Because many insects are drawn to light,
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