
Night Matters
Monthly members-only virtual events with special guests talking about dark sky and light pollution issues around the globe.

Night Matters is a monthly virtual lecture series on a wide variety of topics related to the night sky. All supporters, including members and advocates, are invited every month. Please check your subscription to DarkSky’s emails and be sure to add our domain to your safe senders list. For further information, please contact Allison Bressler.
All our members, donors, and advocates, across many diverse backgrounds and specialties, attend each month to learn something special about dark skies worldwide.
Note: This is a members-only event.
Upcoming

Oct 2023
Fear of the Dark with Ada Blair
October 18, 2023
11am PDT (1800 UTC) time conversion tool
Join Ada Blair, psychotherapist and dark sky enthusiast, as she discusses the Fear of the Dark at the October Night Matters presentation on October 18. Ada lives in the Scottish Borders and is a psychotherapist, group facilitator, and trainer working in higher education, the not-for-profit sector, and private practice. She is the author of ‘Sark in the Dark: Wellbeing and Community on the Dark Sky Island of Sark’.
If you’re a DarkSky member, look for your invitation email.
Past Events

Sep 2023
Urban Night Skies and Environmental Justice with Diane Turnshek
Diane Turnshek, researcher and lecturer in the Department of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University, discusses the impacts of light pollution on urban communities.
Members can access a recording of this presentation; please contact Allison Bressler.

Jul 2023
Astrophotography with Parisa Bajelan
Parisa Bajelan discuss the intersection of culture, astrophotography, and dark skies.
Members can access a recording of this presentation; please contact Allison Bressler.

Jun 2023
Lights Out! with Chloe Crumley
Chloe Crumley from Audubon Texas will discuss Lights Out! programs and the impact that intrusive lighting at night has on birds. In addition, she will talk about what Audubon Texas is doing to increase participation in Lights Out! Texas.
Members can access a recording of this presentation; please contact Allison Bressler.

May 2023
Community Engagement in Dark Skies
Join us as Wiwat Changtrakul (Dark Sky Thailand), Kerem Asfuroglu (Dark Source), and Michael Rymer (International Dark Sky Association and Dark Sky Colorado) speak about the importance of engaging your community in dark skies. We will discuss methods to increase participation, ways to get started, and some of the exciting work that our panelists have accomplished!
Members can access a recording of this presentation; please contact Allison Bressler.
Apr 2023
The Environment and Dark Skies with Travis Longcore
Travis Longcore, environmental scientist and advocate, will present the ways that dark skies help with ecological management.
Members can access a recording of this presentation; please contact Allison Bressler.

Mar 2023
Women in Dark Skies with Georgia MacMillan + panel
An amazing panel of women in the dark sky movement hosted by Georgia MacMillan.
Georgia MacMillan is the co-founder of Terra Firma Ireland, a social enterprise for sustainable astro-tourism in addition to leading the push to establish the Mayo Dark Sky Park. She currently serves as the Mayo Dark Sky Park Development Officer.
Ada Blair lives in the Scottish Borders and is a psychotherapist, group facilitator and trainer working in higher education, the not-for-profit sector and private practice. She is the author of ‘Sark in the Dark: Wellbeing and Community on the Dark Sky Island of Sark’.
Anna Levin is an author and editor based in Scotland and specializing in environmental journalism and people’s connections to the natural world. Her book ‘Incandescent – We Need to Talk about Light‘ explores the consequences of excess artificial light on nature, our built environment, human health and well*being. She has a longstanding passion for aquatic mammals and is currently writing about the effect of light pollution on the watery environment, from her local river to the world’s oceans.
Marnie Ogg is the co-founder of Australasian Dark Sky Alliance, the first charity of its kind in Australia. She has received two Dark Sky Defender Awards, and has been a finalist in the Small Business Awards for her personal and board efforts in conserving the night environment.
Members can access a recording of this presentation; please contact Allison Bressler.

Feb 2023
Light Justice with Lya Shaffer Osborn
Lya is a multidisciplinary designer, an advocate for design justice, and the founder of a collaborative, community-dedicated studio and workshop in Seattle, WA. She received a double M.F.A. in Lighting Design and Interior Design from Parsons The New School for Design. Lya’s thesis challenged the industry norms and incentives that have long defined a designer’s role in the community and proposed alternative modes of improving the accessibility of design resources to the historically underserved.
Members can access a recording of this presentation; please contact Allison Bressler.
Jan 2023
The New Year of Dark Skies with Ruskin Hartley, DarkSky CEO and Executive Director
Ruskin shared our progress in the past year, and discussed our new initiatives and moving the needle forward on addressing light pollution.
Members can access a recording of this presentation; please contact Allison Bressler.