Bettymaya Foott

An avid astrophotographer, you can usually find me out under the stars with one of my three cameras battling off mosquitos. My photography has been featured in Sky and Telescope, National Geographic, and the Los Angeles Times. My dark sky advocacy efforts have reached TedX Kansas City and the New York Times. 

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Growing up in picturesque Moab, Utah and spending summer nights sleeping on the trampoline under the stars, I fostered an early appreciation for the night sky. My childhood was filled with hiking, camping, boating, and wandering in the desert, both below the hot sun and under clear dark skies.

 

I graduated from the University of Utah Honors Program with an H.B.S. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and a Minor in Spanish Language and wrote a thesis entitled “Light pollution hazards within ecosystems and mitigation strategies for the future.”

 

My dark sky career began working for Utah State Parks, starting 12 International Dark Sky Park applications across the state. I then worked as Coordinator for the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative and the Consortium for Dark Sky Studies at the University of Utah before making my way to DarkSky International. Preserving dark skies is my life goal and I find that astrophotography is an incredibly effective way to connect people with the beauty and value of a dark sky.