Flagstaff, AZ is the world's first International Dark-City! Yep, that's not news, but we value it here everyday. 
It's one of the things that makes living here so wonderful, whether you are into astronomy or not. Many are, dating back to the time of Percival Lowell's choice of Flagstaff for his telescope (we won over Tucson!). Now, Lowell Observatory is on the cutting edge of research and the Discovery Channel is funding a hot new telescope being constructed just outside Flagstaff. (On the right is a picture of "Percy" Lowell, courtesy of the Lowell Observatory website.)
That's just a little background to explain the excitment in town this week because the annual Geminid meteor shower is going to give us the best night sky show of its history since 1996 on Thursday and Friday nights. This is because there is a small cresent moon this year as the shower occurs, and that moon is setting early. So, the sky will be WAY dark when the shower hits just after midnight.
This great light show can be seen in other parts of the U.S. as well -- in the eastern sky. But, you need to value dark skies in your community to make it really show off. Read more about our Flagstaff dark skies, and how it relates to real estate (yes, it really does) at: Flagstaff Dark Sky Enthusiasts In for a Treat.
There is also a little story in that post about how it pays to know the facts and resources in your community when you're meeting with out-of-town buyers. It's the way to make yourself a successful real estate agent!
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Ann loves selling real estate. Ann works with a team of in order to provide you the best real estate experience ever! The best advice about the market, selling your home, or finding your dream home
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Ann, thanks for the reminder about getting to know all of the little known facts about our cities that we work in. I didn't know that Flagstaff was the 1st dark city, I do know that it is beautiful.
Wow, I would like to see that! I did not know that Flagstaff the first International Dark-City, that is a very interesting factoid, thank you.
I just followed your link to find out how knowing details about your city or community (why the neighborhoods and city are dark) can put clients concerns into perspective, nicely done!
Deborah -- I bet Seattle has a lot of unique beauties also! I look forward to visiting there some year soon.
The Dark Sky movement is a relatively recent phonomena, as you can see from the website cited here and in my other blog. But it is spreading like wildfire as people realize that with a little "light" planning (pun intended) they can add a valuable aesthetic feature for free.
I've got my fingers crossed for night sky viewing. It's snowing pretty heavily right now, but it is supposed to end tonight and stay snow-free through Friday.
very interesting! I love space and science stuff! Enjoy the shower!
Ann, the stars are something I miss living here in Seattle, we have a lot of overcast skies, of course that's why it's so green here too. I am hoping someday to see the Aurora Borealis. If I hear there is a good chance I may have to drive east to find clear skies, or if clear, maybe take a ferry into the Sound where it's darker. I was born in Tucson and lived in AZ for 8 years, and San Diego for 20 years. The Perseid Meteor shower in August was something I had made an effort to see a couple of times. We used to ski outside of Flagstaff when I was child, so I have fond memories of your area!
We so wanted to watch this, but like a meteor showers in Oregon we usually miss it because of rain and clouds. We were lucky earlier this year and got to see one and the kids loved it!
Ann,
I did get a chance to see the Geminids this year it was beautiful. I went and camped out at a local state forest near the base of some waterfalls and slept there under the stars it was wonderful!