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Here's why the Gateway Arch will be dark

​The Arch will be dark from Oct. 16 through Nov. 17.

ST. LOUIS — The Gateway Arch will not be illuminated at night for a month as the National Park Service installs a new lighting system. 

The Arch will be dark from Oct. 16 through Nov. 17 as the NPS installs a new, state-of-the-art lighting system. The system will reduce the overall energy needed to light the Arch by 60%, a press release said. 

It will replace the 26 static Xeon skylights that were installed one week after the reopening of the Arch in 2018. 

The new system is more accurate in controlling focus and color temperature, the release said. it will make the Arch appear brighter while reducing stray lighting for migratory birds and flares from the night sky. 

The upgraded system will be paid for and maintained by the Gateway Foundation. 

The Arch was dark throughout the month of September due to an effort to support the annual migration of birds across the Mississippi River. The exterior lights were reactivated on Oct. 1. 

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