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Would the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff close up shop if too much ambient light from encroaching development impedes its mission?

Christian Luginbuhl, who has worked for the Naval Observatory in the past, raised just those concerns in a a letter to the Arizona Daily Sun.

"Though I do not speak for the Navy, the clear message to me is this: The Navy will perform its mission. If Flagstaff does not support the Navy, we can expect that the mission will be done, just not here," wrote Luginbuhl, who does not speak for the observatory now. He is familiar with the city's dark sky ordinance, which he helped to draft in the late 1980s.

Luginbuhl told Flagstaff City Council at its meeting on Oct. 21 that the observatory's mission depends on being able to see some of the faintest night sky objects visible. Any increase in light at night could endanger that mission.

The newest source of ambient light near the observatory, Aspen Heights, a 714-bed student housing subdivision, returns to the council's agenda tonight.