For these reasons and more, the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition praises Jeff Hall as a steadfast Dark Skies Champion.
In the nicest, most respectful and patiently persistent way, Lowell Observatory Executive Director Jeff Hall has been a “bullfighter” for dark skies on many different levels, say those in the astronomer world.
“There’s a saying: ‘It’s not what you do, but how you do it that counts,’” said Lowell Historian Kevin Schindler. “And Jeff has mastered the skill of working through sometimes contentious issues with people who may see things differently and finding a solution that’s good for everybody.”
Retired astronomer and Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition member Chris Luginbuhl recalls how an unfortunate mistake at the local level resulted in switching to bright white LED lights near the Flagstaff Mall.
“In 2012, the street lighting folks at the City of Flagstaff were switching from our world-leading night-sky friendly low pressure sodium lights to newer LEDs,” said Luginbuhl. “Despite our long history of working together, they had not consulted with the astronomers or dark skies folks, choosing what they thought were dark-sky friendly LEDs. They weren’t, and there was a behind-the-scenes uproar from the astronomers.”
As Luginbuhl explains, discussions ensued. “Jeff worked behind the scenes with city staff to identify a constructive way forward. He made the absolutely brilliant strategic suggestion of calling the investigation into what LED street lighting is appropriate for Flagstaff ‘SLEDS,’ which stands for Street Lighting to Enhance Dark Skies. The choice of this name alone helped ensure that we ended up making the best possible Flagstaff-worthy choice of the LED type we now have as a standard.”
Hall also has worked with those in the lighting industry and with elected officials to support dark-sky friendly options and has worked with SpaceX in regard to Starlink – a satellite internet constellation that provides coverage to more than 70 countries but that could also have significant impacts on the night sky.
As a researcher, Hall has made important discoveries about the sun and played a significant role in a long-running study of the sun and sun-like stars. “This information is critical to better understand our sun, which has climate change implications,” said Schindler.
As a leader, Hall has been involved in nearly every department at Lowell, including the one at the top: executive director for 14 years. “He’s navigated us through trying times to this ‘Camelot’ era of expansion,” said Schindler.
Under his leadership, Lowell has seen the completion of the Lowell Discovery Telescope at Happy Jack, the Giovale Open Deck Observatory (GODO) with its six state-of-the-art public telescopes, and coming soon, the Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center – a world-class facility for educating the public about astronomy and science.
“He really has been a champion throughout his career – for dark skies, astronomical discovery and public education,” said Luginbuhl.
For these reasons and more, the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition praises Jeff Hall as a steadfast Dark Skies Champion. FBN
Courtesy Photo: Lowell Observatory Executive Director Jeff Hall, shown here in front of the Dyer Telescope on Mars Hill, is a champion for dark skies, astronomical discovery and public education.