endangered-skies

Photo: Courtesy of McDonald Observatory


After a career as a stevedore in Florida, amateur astronomer James Lowrey retired 11 years ago to the Big Bend, drawn by the otherworldly viewing possibilities of its inky night skies.

But Lowrey and other astronomers in the region fear that lights from flares and oil rigs in the ever-expanding Permian Basin oil boom to the north may soon endanger their precious dark skies.
In late October, Lowrey filed six complaints in Reeves County, claiming Apache Corp. is violating the county’s dark sky ordinance, which is designed to protect the nearby McDonald Observatory… Read more from ExpressNews.com