When I say I love Texas, I mean the beautiful landscapes and of course the wide open skies. I grew up in a suburb of Detroit where the houses were so close together I was able to hold conversations with my neighbor's granddaughter (one of my best friends) just by hanging out the windows, so coming to Texas where the skies seemed so much bigger and were so much darker at night was a big change. I could no longer get to anywhere I needed by hopping on my bicycle and riding for 20 minutes in any direction; it was now a 20 minute walk just to the mailbox at the end of the road and back. My school was no longer less than a mile away, but 15 miles away, and if I missed the bus I was screwed. The trade-off was that when the sun set, it looked like someone took a piece of black construction paper with holes poked into it and held it up to a light bulb. The piece of land out in the country that my mom moved us to could hold all the houses on our block back in Michigan, and it feels more like home than any other place I've lived in my life.

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But over the course of 30 years things have changed. When we first moved here, the buildings on I-35 stopped around Burnet Road and gave way to acres and acres of fields dotted with livestock; now, the city has sprawled up past Texas 29, and even that road has more traffic lights, gas stations, and subdivisions. The glow of city and suburban lights has grown brighter and has dimmed the stars over our home. As Texas population grows, so do the urban and suburban areas, which brings along a lot more light.

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The night skies that I love so much aren't as dark as they used to be. Between the glow of the creeping population and more satellites than ever surrounding our planet, it's getting harder and harder to explore and enjoy space. Both amateur stargazers and professional astronomers are having their stargazing marred by excessive light and their photos tainted by streaks left by satellites.  We're fortunate enough to have groups like the International Dark Sky Association and its local affiliates advocating for responsible use of outdoor lighting to preserve our night skies.

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Also, as a member of the Planetary Society, I advocate to increase discoveries in our Solar System, elevate the search for life beyond our planet, and decrease the risk of Earth being hit by an asteroid. The Planetary Society's work includes lobbying the government for funding for space exploration and study, funding their own projects like LightSail to explore the possibilities of solar sail spacecraft, and providing education to the public about space. 

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I'm only one person, but if we all work together we can help exploer and preserve our beautiful night skies through practice and advocacy. Check out the links below to see how you can get involved!