Towns in U.S. West embrace starlight to pursue "dark sky economy"

STORY: Towns in U.S. West embrace starlight to pursue "dark sky economy" DATELINE: Nov. 12, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:45 LOCATION: FLAGSTAFF, U.S. CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the interior of Lowell Observatory 2. various of tourists at Lowell Observatory STORYLINE: Championed by dark sky advocates and bolstered by economic incentives, towns and parks around the U.S. West are making strides to preserve night sky views. Flagstaff, a city of Arizona with some 80,000 residents, has achieved worldwide recognition for innovative leadership in the protection of dark skies back IN the 1950s. On Oct. 24, 2001, it was recognized as the world's First International Dark Sky City. The certification spurred wonder, economic development and employment as tourists visit the city, surrounded by mountains, desert and ponderosa pine forests, and especially Mars Hill, where astronomer Vesto Slipher first discovered information about the velocity of galaxies from 1912 to 1914, and Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 19