The recently filed 2025 International Dark Sky Community annual report for the City of Blanco notes that the night sky above the city has become darker.
This encouraging news came somewhat as a surprise given the ever-increasing sky glow from Austin and San Antonio. But the statistics confirm reports of several local folks who say they can see more stars now than they once could. They’re right.
Since 2007, Blanco County night sky advocates have been taking readings of the night sky using Unihedron Sky Quality Meters (SQMs), which are similar to light meters except they measure darkness. The measurements are on a logarithmic scale from 17 to 23, with the lower numbers being typical of the center of a large metropolitan area while the higher numbers (up to 23) are seen in remote, night sky preserves such as Big Bend National Park.
