On July 3rd, Samuel Lartigue, volunteer SQM Cluster Project Manager for Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS), and two Science Mill staff members installed a Sky Quality Meter (SQM) at the Science Mill in Johnson City. This is the 14th SQM installed in the Blanco County SQM Cluster.

Bob Heinonen, Board member of BCFNS said, “Having a SQM at the Science Mill accomplishes several important things.
• It helps BCFNS fulfill the first item of its Action Plan: Measure the darkness of the night sky at strategic places over Blanco County for at least the next 10 years. Are we gaining ground or losing ground?
• The central location of the SQM in Johnson City will provide data about night sky darkness that can be included with an application to DarkSky International for Johnson City to become an International Dark Sky Certified Community. The SQM measures an area of over 4 miles across the city.
• In the future, the SQM may be updated to provide data for integration into the Science Mill’s educational program. BCFNS will work with the Science Mill on the integration project.

We are very happy the Science Mill agreed to be part of our Blanco County SQM Cluster. This will make a significant difference monitoring our night sky.”

The SQM at the Science Mill was purchased by BCFNS with grant from Hill Country Alliance; the SQM will be both maintained and monitored by BCFNS for the next 10 years.

From left to right we have George Clement, who serves as the Exhibit Coordinator, then in the middle Quaid Thompson, Exhibit Technician with BCFNS SQM Project Manager, Samuel Lartigue

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JUST FOR FUN

Here is the entry to our Facebook Group Annual Poetry Contest from BCFNS member, Stacy Sims.

Stars, My Dear Stars
By Stacy Sims

Stars, my dear stars
Hydrogen and helium collide
Much like happiness and sorrow
However will we abide

From first steps to two steps
Sprints and quiet crawls
Tears and cheers, and oh the fears
My stars saw it all

Every so often they fall
But mostly they glisten and shine
Reminding me life is fleeting
A story of my own design

Of all inspirations in this world
The organic and inane
Stars, my dear stars
An inspiration you remain

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KEEP BLANCO BEAUTIFIL DAY AND NIGHT

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CONSIDER BECOMING A MEMBER

A membership sign in your yard is a great way to let others know that you care about the night sky and perhaps make them curious about the organization. We have been successful with our Membership Sign Promotion but still need your help. The more signs we can get out in the public, the more people we can reach with our message about “saving the stars”. There are now 160 BCFNS membership signs hanging on fences and gates throughout Blanco County (and beyond). Each of these shouts to the world “Stop polluting our Night Sky”.

If you have been thinking of joining BCFNS or renewing your membership, you can still take advantage of our special offering of a free one-year membership ($20) with the purchase of a sign ($35 tax included). A membership sign is the best publicity the night sky can have. Here’s the link: BCFNS Membership Signs

For more information on all our membership options click here: Membership Options

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NEXT BOARD MEETING

The next Board meeting will be August 20th at 9:00AM, at the Blanco County Community Resource Center (CRC) in Johnson City. The address is 206 South US Highway 281. Meetings are informal and consist of part business and part brainstorming. You are welcome to join us.

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THIS NEWSLETTER

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