Williamson County Friends of the Night Sky

11/11/2026

Hey businesses! Creating a warm color lighting environment without harsh blue glare will draw you more business!!
The parking lot & business lighting of the Liberty Hill Costco and or Liberty Hill B**r Market are excellent visual examples showing successful businesses and dark sky lighting can work together economically!

Astrotourism is big in Texas, and getting bigger. McDonald Observatory draws 100,000+ visitors a year, and Big Bend saw a 15% jump in off-season night-sky travelers after earning Dark Sky Place status.

Better lights for better nights.

11/10/2026

Together we can restore our night sky one light bulb at a time!

$1.8B a year: that is what dark skies bring the Colorado Plateau.

Studies point to 10,000 new jobs a year and up to 5.5M more visitors. Texas communities with dark skies can build this too. Better lights for better nights.

11/09/2026

Some of the most unforgettable travel experiences happen when we venture into the unknown.

Astrotourism invites us to discover the wonder of the night, explore new places, and connect with the darkness that makes it all possible.

As we explore, let's help protect the night skies that inspire us.

Discover DarkSky International’s Principles of Responsible Astrotourism: https://bit.ly/4eYVThH

📷 Photo taken in Greenland by Albab Akbar Afifi

11/09/2026

Don’t let sky glow drown out the star glow!

These 5 principles of dark sky lighting reduce ecological/human harm, improve safety, lower glare, and save energy.

Assess your lights.

1. Only use light ‘if’ needed
2. Shield the light ‘down’ where needed
3. No brighter than necessary (aka lumens)
4. Use only ‘when’ needed (off by 10pm)
5. Use warmer colors like amber/red, (aka Kelvin)

🌑 The Moon is new today, November 9, which means there’s no bright moonlight to wash out the stars tonight. If your skies are clear, step outside and give your eyes a little time to adjust to the dark.

What’s the best night sky you’ve ever seen—and where were you? ✨

11/09/2026

Dripping Springs keeps showing up for our natural night sky!

SOMEONE SPENT $2 MILLION BUILDING A PRIVATE OBSERVATORY IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY!

Imagine driving through the hills near Austin and discovering a three-story stone tower topped with a massive copper dome.

It looks like something out of a movie. But it's real, and someone actually had it built for their own astronomical observations.

Hidden away in Dripping Springs, Texas, the GSR Observatory took roughly two and a half years to construct.

And this is no ordinary backyard telescope.

The copper dome rotates a full 360 degrees, allowing a powerful telescope to track objects moving across the night sky.

But here's where the engineering gets incredible.

A massive concrete support, four feet across, runs through all three floors and is anchored to bedrock.

It's isolated from the building so footsteps and other vibrations won't interfere with the telescope.

The 1,569-square-foot observatory even has specialized insulated walls and a rainwater collection system built into its dome.

Its builders describe it as the largest private observatory in North America, although that claim hasn't been independently verified.

In 2026, the project earned two honors at the ICF Builder Awards, including the People's Choice Award.

Just imagine spending a quiet Texas evening beneath that copper dome, exploring the Moon, Saturn's rings, or galaxies millions of light-years away.

And it's all sitting in the Texas Hill Country.

**If you had $2 million to build something extraordinary on your own property, would you choose an observatory like this — or build something completely different?**

11/08/2026

11/06/2026

Oh.My.Stars! 🌟 💫✨
As a Dark Sky advocate helping with Liberty Hill Save Our Stars (Dark Skies) and an admin of this page, I am honor to be nominated for 2026 Best of Liberty Hill - Volunteer of the Year and voted runner-up!
The Liberty Hill Independent
✨Thankful to have my loves by my side! ✨

And what a privilege to be recognized alongside two incredible ladies - Kendra of L4 Cares, who also shares her talents as a creative content creator and photographer, and Nancy of The Market LHTX, whose heart for our community and countless contributions help make Liberty Hill such a special place! Boss babes 🫶🏼

Thank you! Grateful to be nominated, for every vote, every connection, and this wonderful community we call home - LHTX! 💙💜✨

Defending the night for health, habitat, and all things leafed winged and wild! 💫 ~Leah