Turner Farm earns urban night sky designation for efforts to limit light pollution
originally published in ffxnow 22 January 2026
written by Emily Leayman
https://www.ffxnow.com/2026/01/22/turner-farm-earns-urban-night-sky-designation-for-efforts-to-limit-light-pollution/
Light pollution continues to be a concern in the populous Northern Virginia region, but one Fairfax County park has taken steps to protect the night sky.
DarkSky International has designated Turner Farm (925 Springvale Road) in Great Falls as an International Dark Sky Urban Night Sky Place, a certification reflecting its efforts to protect the night sky from light pollution. The Fairfax County Park Authority noted that Turner Farm is one of a few places to view a relatively dark sky near D.C.
Eileen Kragie, the founder of Dark Sky Friends and chapter leader of DarkSky NOVA, told FFXnow the accolade has been in the works for four years and is a “huge achievement for Fairfax County and for Northern Virginia.”
“The strong community support and partnerships were essential for bringing this to fruition,” Kragie said. “Being in the shadow of the Nation’s Capital means the education programs and night viewing will reach this entire DMV and hopefully help turn back the tide of the growth of light pollution in this region.”
To earn the designation, the park authority and its partners implemented a lighting management plan with low-level and warm-spectrum lighting, replaced park lighting with DarkSky-compliant lighting fixtures and 2,700K bulbs, and expanded its astronomy and light pollution educational and outreach programs.
Fairfax County leaders also voted in late 2023 to adopt a special ordinance limiting outdoor lighting for a half mile around the park’s observatory.
“This designation reflects the Fairfax County Park Authority’s commitment to protecting natural resources that directly support the health and well-being of our community,” said Jai Cole, executive director of the Fairfax County Park Authority. “By reducing light pollution, we are supporting wildlife, conserving energy and creating spaces where people can slow down, look up and feel connected to something bigger.”
The park authority will host a Dark Sky education and celebration event to mark the accolade at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Friday). The event at Turner Farm’s observatory will include remarks from project partners, educational activities and night sky viewing.
The cap on attendance has been reached, according to the park authority. In the case of inclement weather, which is appearing increasingly likely, the event will be relocated to the Colvin Run Mill Education Center (10017 Colvin Run Road).
An FCPA spokesperson says the agency doesn’t plan to postpone the event, since the coming winter storm isn’t expected to arrive until Saturday evening. However, an update will be shared if that changes.
Turner Farm, which was once a dairy farm, has an observatory that was first developed under the U.S. Army Map Service. Today, the observatory is open during public viewing nights, programs and permitted events through a park authority partnership with the Analemma Society.