Cultural Astronomer Danielle Adams Leads Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition as Organization Takes on Ambitious Vision

As the Flagstaff community continues to come out for Celebration of the Night activities this month, the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition (FDSC) will be led by newly appointed Interim Executive Director Danielle Adams, Ph.D., a cultural astronomer, dark sky advocate and astrotourism consultant whose work inhabits the intersections of art and science.

“Flagstaff is not only the world’s first International Dark Sky City; with 75,000 residents and an airport, it is the largest and most accessible International Dark Sky City,” said Adams. “That we who live here have the Milky Way as our companion on every clear night, even from downtown, is remarkable and adds to our quality of life. I am delighted to serve as interim executive director as the organization presses into a new vision for a world in which everyone can see the Milky Way where they live.”

Bringing the Milky Way Home

That new vision stretches far beyond Northern Arizona with an ambitious charge: Bring the Milky Way Home. The FDSC states that it envisions a world in which everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, can see the Milky Way in a dark sky that is cherished by their community and beneficial for all life.   

The nonprofit organization, instrumental in promoting Flagstaff as the first International Dark Sky City, states: “The splendor of a night sky lit by thousands of stars has for millennia inspired and connected humanity with a shared sense of awe and wonder, yet some 80% of U.S. households live under nighttime skies that are too bright from artificial light to see more than a few hundred stars, let alone the Milky Way, and our skies continue to brighten.”

“The community of Flagstaff stands out as a success story and model for other cities in stemming light pollution and restoring dark skies for the whole population, just a few of which are astronomers,” said FDSC Board President Chris Luginbuhl. “The Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition can help other communities reduce their light pollution so that everyone can see the Milky Way once again and reconnect to the night sky.”

Celebration of the Night Continues

Adams invites Flagstaff residents and visitors to experience the Coalition’s Dark Skies Speaker Series, dark skies inspired artwork at locally owned downtown galleries and stargazing under “the sublime skies of Flagstaff,” at Dark Sky Brewing Company this month during Celebration of the Night.

Photographer Jeremy Perez will present “Flashes in the Night,” at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4, at Lowell Observatory’s Visitor Center as he discusses how storm- and space-event chasing expand opportunities under dark skies.

At 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 11, also at Lowell Observatory, Adams will showcase the importance of dark skies to the development of cultural traditions in Arabian astronomy as she points out camels in the sky in her in her presentation, “Indigenous Arabian Astronomy and Dark Skies.” 

Both talks are free and do not require admission to Lowell Observatory.

Throughout October, Dark Sky Brewing Company will be serving up its craft brew, Quiet Life – Hazy Pale Ale, and donating 10% of sales to the Coalition. Dark Sky Brewing also will be hosting a stargazing event and showcasing dark-sky friendly lighting in the beer garden as the downtown business Celebrates the Night, 6-10 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26. During the event, FDSC will give away free night-friendly light fixtures and bulbs.

Meanwhile, downtown Flagstaff art galleries are exhibiting night-inspired artwork through the fall season in the First International Dark Sky City.

Dedicated to Starlit Skies

Adams has served on the FDSC Board of Directors since January 2022. With a background in cultural astronomy research, strategic marketing, revenue generation and science communications, Luginbuhl says she has been instrumental in advancing the renewed vision of FDSC and making the case for starlit skies wherever she goes.

With a dissertation on indigenous Arabian astronomy, she earned her doctorate from the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona and a minor in cultural anthropology after earning her master’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Arkansas and studying classical Arabic literature at the American University of Beirut and Princeton University.

Adams is an organizing member of the International Astronomical Union’s Commission C5 on Cultural Astronomy and a member of IAU’s Working Group on Star Names, where she lends her expertise on Arabian and Islamic astronomical traditions and nomenclature. She has lived in Flagstaff since January 2019, when she arrived to work at Lowell Observatory as the chief marketing and revenue officer, a role she held until 2023. FBN

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

For a full schedule of Celebration of the Night events, visit FlagstaffDarkSkies.org.

Courtesy Photo: Danielle Adams welcomes Artemis astronauts to Northern Arizona during training exercises on Babbitt Ranches in 2022.