John Caleb Barentine

Education

​Ph.D. Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, 2013
Thesis: “The Role Of Gas In Galaxy Evolution: Infall, Star Formation, And Internal Structure”

M.A. Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, 2008
Thesis: “A Comparative Astrochemical Study of the High Mass Protostellar Objects NGC 7538 IRS 1 and IRS 9”

M.S. Physics, Colorado State University, 2002
Thesis: “A Diagnostic Analysis Of A SciTech STAR Class 0.5m Telescope For The Purpose Of High Precision Photometry”

B.S. Physics, University of Arizona, 1998
Minor: Astronomy

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Employment

Dark Sky Consulting, LLC
Executive Officer and Principal Consultant (2021-present)

• Company founder and executive officer
• Provide advice and professional services related to dark-skies conservation, outdoor lighting management plans, lighting public policies and site night sky quality characterization

International Dark Sky Association
Director of Public Policy (2018-2021)

• Led dark skies and outdoor lighting public policy initiatives

Director of Conservation (2018)
Program Manager (2013-2018)

• Responsibility for the International Dark Sky Places certification program
• ​IDA liaison to the international artificial light at night scientific research community

University of Wisconsin at Madison, Department of Astronomy
Postdoctoral Researcher (2013)
Research Intern (2011-2012)

• Abundances of Galactic High- and Intermediate-Velocity Clouds from ultraviolet spectroscopy

University of Texas at Austin, Department of Astronomy
Graduate Teaching Assistant (2008-2012)
Graduate Research Assistant (2006-2011)

• High-resolution mid-infrared spectroscopy of high-mass star forming regions (2006-2009)
• Secular evolution of disk galaxies (2009-2011)

Apache Point Observatory
Observer, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (2004-2006)

• Operation of the SDSS 2.5m telescope; development of procedures and documentation; quality assurance

Observing Specialist I/II, Astrophysical Research Consortium (2001-2004)

• Engineering, operations, and remote user support, ARC 3.5-meter telescope
• Engineering, basic maintenance and observing, New Mexico State University 1-meter telescope
• APO liaison to the University of Colorado Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA) for development of the Near Infrared Camera Fabry-Pérot Spectrometer (NIC-FPS)

Colorado State University, Department of Physics
Graduate Teaching Assistant (1999-2001)
Graduate Research Assistant (1999)

• Scanning Hall probe microscopy of magnetic flux vortices in superconducting metals

Intel Corporation Digital Imaging Operation
Summer Intern (1996)

• Research and characterization of consumer digital cameras
• Design and specification work on the Intel Pocket PC Camera

National Solar Observatory
Research Assistant (1995-1999)

• Properties of solar active regions and contribution of various activity features to overall solar flux rate (1998-1999)
• Acoustic holography of terrestrial lightning (1997)
• Reduction and archival of raw helioseismic imagery collected at the South Pole during the austral summer of 1994-1995 (1995-1997)​

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Selected Publications

ADS

astro-ph

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7042-068X

Google Scholar profile

Scopus profile

Books

• ​​Mystery of the Ashen Light of Venus: Investigating a 400-Year-Old Phenomenon (Springer International Publishing, 2021)
• Uncharted Constellations (Springer International Publishing, 2016)
• The Lost Constellations (Springer International Publishing, 2015)

Book Chapters

• 'A Dignity That Insures Their Perpetuation': Obsolete Constellations and the Making of the Modern Night Sky. Yearbook of Astronomy 2021 (Pen and Sword Books, 2020).

Selected Journal Articles ​

• Barentine, J. (2025). ‘Setting Fire to the Last Forest’: Project West Ford and the Mobilization of the Astronomical Community 1958–1965. Journal for the History of Astronomy, in press. doi: 10.1177/00218286251313772
• Barentine, J., Kocifaj, M., and Wallner, S. (2023). Towards future challenges in the measurement and modelling of night sky brightness. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, stad3538. doi:10.1093/mnras/stad3538
• Kocifaj, M., Wallner, S., and Barentine, J. (2023). Measuring and monitoring light pollution: Current approaches and challenges. Science, 380, 6650, 1121-1124. doi:10.1126/science.adg0473
• Barentine, J., Heim, J., Venkatesan, A., Lowenthal, J., Kocifaj, M., & Bará, S. (2023). Aggregate Effects of Proliferating LEO Objects and Implications for Astronomical Data Lost in the Noise. Nature Astronomy, 7, 252-258. doi:10.1038/s41550-023-01904-2
• Barentine, J. (2022). Night Sky Brightness Measurement, Quality Assessment and Monitoring. Nature Astronomy​, 6, 1120-1132. doi:10.1038/s41550-022-01756-2​
• Barentine, J., Heim, J., Venkatesan, A., Lowenthal, J., Vidaurri, M. (2022). Re-imagining Near-Earth Space Policy in a Post-COVID World. Virginia Policy Review, 15(1), 58-86. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6903582
• Kocifaj, M., & Barentine, J. (2021). Air pollution mitigation can reduce the brightness of the night sky in and near cities. Nature Scientific Reports, 11:14622. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94241-1.
• Barentine, J., Walczak, K., Gyuk, G., Tarr, C., & Longcore, T. (2021). A Case for a New Satellite Mission for Remote Sensing of Night Lights. Remote Sensing, rs13122294. doi:10.3390/rs13122294.
• Kocifaj, M., Kundracik, F., Barentine, J. C., & Bará, S. (2021). The proliferation of space objects is a rapidly increasing source of artificial night sky brightness. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 504(1), L40-L44. doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slab030.
• Barentine, J. (2020) Who speaks for the night? The regulation of light pollution in the ‘Rights of Nature’ legal framework. International Journal of Sustainable Lighting, 22(2), 28-36.
• Barentine, J., et al. (2020). Recovering the city street lighting fraction from skyglow measurements in a large-scale municipal dimming experiment. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 253, 107120. doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2020.107120.
• Barentine, J. (2019). Methods for Assessment and Monitoring of Light Pollution around Ecologically Sensitive Sites. Journal of Imaging, 5(5), 54. doi:10.3390/jimaging5050054.
• Barentine, J., et al. (2020). Skyglow Changes Over Tucson, Arizona, Resulting From A Municipal LED Street Lighting Conversion. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 212, 10. doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2018.02.038.
• Barentine, J. (2016). Going for the Gold: Quantifying and Ranking Visual Night Sky Quality in International Dark Sky Places. International Journal of Sustainable Lighting, 35, 1, 9. doi:10.26607/ijsl.v18i0.16.
• Barentine, J., and Lacy, J. (2012). “A Comparative Astrochemical Study of the High Mass Protostellar Objects NGC 7538 IRS 9 and IRS 1. Astrophysical Journal, 757, 111. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/757/2/111.
• Barentine, J., and Kormendy, J. (2012). Two Pseudobulges in the ‘Boxy Bulge’ Galaxy NGC 5746. Astrophysical Journal, 754, 140. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/754/2/140.
• Kormendy, J., and Barentine, J. (2010). Detection of a Pseudobulge Hidden Inside the ‘Box-shaped Bulge’ of NGC 4565” J. Kormendy, J. Barentine, (2010). Astrophysical Journal, 715, L176. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/715/2/L176.
• Field, S., and Barentine, J. (2000). Capacitive position sensor with simultaneous, linear X-Y readout. Review of Scientific Instruments, 71, 6, 2603. doi:10.1063/1.1150656.
• Barentine, J., and Esquerdo, G. (1999). Barnard’s Merope Nebula (IC 349): an Interstellar Interloper. Astronomical Journal, 117, 1402. doi:10.1086/300760.

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Education and
​Public Outreach

Instruction

• AST 301: Introduction to Astronomy, UT, Spring 2013 (teaching assistant)
• AST 307: Introductory Astronomy, UT, Fall 2012 (teaching assistant)
• ​AST 309N: The Lives and Deaths of Stars, UT, Spring 2012 (teaching assistant)
• AST 352K: Stellar Astronomy, UT, Fall 2011 (teaching assistant)
• AST 152M: Stellar Astronomy Laboratory, UT, Fall 2011 (teaching assistant)
• AST 351: Astronomical Instrumentation, UT, Fall 2008 (teaching assistant)
• AA 101: Astronomy Laboratory, CSU, Fall 2000-Summer 2001 (instructor of record)
• PH 315: Modern Physics Laboratory, CSU, Spring 2000 (teaching assistant)
• PH 110: Descriptive Physics, CSU, Fall 1999 (teaching assistant)

Advising

• Graduate student: Dipendra Bhattarai (University of Tasmania Ph.D. examining committee, 2024)
• Graduate student: Gloria Kaasch-Buerger (University of Colorado at Denver M.S. committee, 2015-16)
• Undergraduate student: Amy Juan (NOAO; 2014)
• Graduate student: John Kanemoto (NOAO; 2014)
• Undergraduate student: Justin Hickey (University of Texas at Austin; 2012-13)

Outreach

• IAU Office of for Astronomy Outreach National Outreach Coordinator for the United States (2024-present)
• Apache Point Observatory outreach activities (2001-2006)
• Kitt Peak National Observatory Visitor Center (Docent, 1994-1997)
• Flandrau Planetarium, University of Arizona (Telescope Operator, 1994-1997)

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Professional Memberships

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (Member, 1993-present)
• International Astronomical Union (Member, 2018-present)
  • Inter-Division Commission B7 (Protection of Existing and Potential Observatory Sites) (Member, 2018-present; Organising Committee, 2024-2027)​
• ​​American Astronomical Society (Full Member, 2000-present)
  • Historical Astronomy Division (Member, 2015-present)​
• Royal Astronomical Society (Fellow, 2018-present)​
• Astronomical League (Life Member, 2021)
• Illuminating Engineering Society (Associate Member, 2021-present)

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Service

• AAS Committee to Protect Astronomy and the Space Environment (Member, 2017-present; Secretary, 2022-present)
• ​​IAU Centre for the Protection of of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference Community Engagement Hub (Co-Chair, 2022-present)​
• IAU Symposium 385: "Astronomy and Satellite Constellations: Pathways Forward" (Scientific Organizing Committee, 2023)
• Light Pollution: Theory, Modeling and Measurements (Scientific Organizing Committee, 2022)
• SATCON2 Community Engagement Working Group (2021)
• SATCON1 Satellite Constellation Metrics Working Group (2020)
• Dark and Quiet Skies for Science and Society Scientific Organizing Committee (2020–2022)
• Artificial Light At Night Research Literature Database (Co-curator, 2014–present)
• Journal of Dark Sky Studies (JDSS) Editorial Board (2020–2022)
• University of Utah Consortium for Dark Sky Studies Governing Committee (Founding Member, 2017–2022)
• Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative Steering Committee (Member, 2017–present)
• International Union for Conservation of Nature Dark Skies Advisory Group (Member, 2016–2018; 2021)
• DarkSky Southern Arizona (Advisor, 2023-present) ​​
• IES Outdoor Nighttime Environment Committee (Advisory Member, 2024-present)

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Honors

• Galileo Award, DarkSky International (2023)
• Board of Visitors Graduate Student Endowment Fund Scholarship (UT Austin, 2008-2009 and 2011- 2012)
• Asteroid (14505) Barentine (2007)
• 2nd Place, National Outstanding Young Astronomer Award, Astronomical League (1994)
• 1st Place, Physical Sciences Division, Student Poster Competition, AAAS 1994 Annual Meeting (San Francisco, CA)
• Arizona delegate, Honors Research Program, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Upton, NY, 1994)