Gillespie County Friends of the Night Sky

06/24/2026

06/14/2026

Look what we saw in the skies of Gillespie County Saturday night - Venus, Jupiter and Mercury!

06/12/2026

What a great time educating The Stonewall community about the night sky at their Thirsty Thursday. Everyone needs to come out and enjoy the 65th Stonewall Peach Jamboree and Rodeo June 18 - 20.
https://stonewalltexas.com/peach-jamboree/

05/23/2026

05/07/2026

https://darkskytexas.org/astrotourism-in-texas/

For many Texans, the local night sky has long been an unassuming yet awe-inspiring sight – perhaps even one of the first things to miss about home for those who move locations with fewer opportunities to view the universe. This celestial canvas, which many of us take for granted, is becoming a rar...

04/15/2026

✨ We’re having so much fun celebrating and educating about this week, during our Dark Skies Festival!

💡 Here’s McDonald Observatory Public Programs Manager, Rachel Fuechsl, demonstrating night sky friendly lighting - Inviting folks to observe examples of light emitted by different types of lightbulbs, at varying color temperatures.

04/15/2026

✨ International Dark Sky Week kicks off TODAY!

🎉 There are over 200 events registered globally, from star parties and night hikes to community gatherings and virtual talks. This is what it looks like when people come together to celebrate and protect the night.

👀 DarkSky International would love to see what YOU will be doing this week.

📷 Share your moments by tagging or using .

Learn more about International Dark Sky Week here: https://idsw.darksky.org

04/15/2026

From glaring globes to fully shielded fixtures, this simple illustration shows how thoughtful lighting design can make a big difference. ✨

A friendly reminder: DarkSky is not against all light at night. We support quality lighting that improves visibility and safety while preserving the nighttime environment for plants, animals, and people.

By following our Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting, we can reduce light pollution and protect the night for everyone. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3U0zrNy

04/13/2026

Globe At Night
Become a citizen scientist and collect data about the night sky in your neighborhood for Globe at Night. It’s fun, easy and you’ll be helping scientists across the globe better understand the threat of light pollution to our planet.

Globe at Night is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure & submit their night sky brightness observations.

04/13/2026

Identify the birds in your area by downloading and using the app Merlin. Whether they are migratory or local, birds are affected by artificial light at night. Identify the birds in your area and become their friends by turning off lights between 12:00 - 6:00 am, lowering the wattage of your lights, and making sure your outside lights fact down (not up or out).

Identify Bird Songs and Calls Sound ID listens to the birds around you and shows real-time suggestions for who’s singing. Compare your recording to the songs and calls in Merlin to confirm what you heard. Sound ID works completely offline, so you can identify birds you hear no matter where you ar