Dark Sky

The night sky, filled with stars, is celebrated and protected around the world as a shared heritage benefiting all living things.
Glacier National Park (GNP) was designated as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association in 2017. Receiving provisional status, the designation signifies that GNP is committed to night sky preservation.

Given the park’s provisional status, its current goal is to achieve full International Dark Sky Park status: a more prestigious title of night sky protection. In 2020, the WPI research team assisted Glacier National Park with advancing toward full International Dark Sky Park status.  To accomplish this, the park’s lighting inventory, dark sky educational programs, and night sky quality were evaluated. The WPI team determined that Glacier National Park’s sky quality has improved since becoming a provisional IDSP. In addition, the team created resources to facilitate and expand the park’s dark sky educational outreach programs. The WPI team’s analysis determined that the park is on track to achieve its IDSP goals by March of 2021.