The world’s first law protecting the night sky was passed in Flagstaff in 1958, and it started with searchlights. Lowell Observatory had been studying the sky above Flagstaff since 1894, but as the city grew, astronomers became concerned that increasing light would interfere with their work. One of the biggest concerns was commercial searchlights, the huge beams businesses used to sweep across the sky to attract customers. So in 1958, Flagstaff banned them inside city limits, becoming the first city in the world to pass an ordinance specifically protecting the night sky. It was only the beginning. Later rules required outdoor lighting to be shielded and directed downward. In 1989, Coconino County began regulating the color of outdoor light as well as its brightness. Then on October 24, 2001, Flagstaff became the world’s first International Dark Sky City. More than six decades after that first searchlight ban, protecting the night sky has become part of Flagstaff’s identity, and ...