Both county and city lighting codes base their limits on the amount of light produced per acre and per residence. But if the scope and density of development increases, those regulations couldn’t be used to cap the amount of total light being emitted in the area, which is what matters in the end, Luginbuhl said. That’s why the astronomy community is also pushing for the county and city’s comprehensive and regional plans to recognize the importance of dark skies and emphasize land use planning that preserves them, he said.

Any updates to lighting ordinances should also take into account advancements in lighting technology, said Jeff Hall, director of the Lowell Observatory. Amber LED’s for example, have emerged as potentially promising because they emit light in a narrow spectrum similar to the low-pressure sodium bulbs that dot the city's streets.

In August, Flagstaff hosted a regional summit to discuss dark skies in the face of advancing lighting technology. There’s concern about the increasing use of regular LED’s, for example, because they emit a white light that is much more damaging to the dark skies than the golden-hued low-pressure sodium bulbs that the city and county recommend. Sky glow from LEDs appears nearly seven times as bright as the sky glow created by the same amount of light emitted from low-pressure sodium bulbs.