There is nothing wrong with your eyes, yes there is a huge star on Franklin Mountain, 300 feet above Scenic Drive. The star sits at a 30 degree angle and can be perfectly viewed from Alameda Avenue.

The first star, 50 feet wide, was made by El Paso Electric in 1940. It was blown away, and improvements were made in 1946. The length was increased to a 459 feet, and the width was reduced to 278 feet, 459 lights were used. Some of the lights are separated by three feet and some by four feet, depending on whether their positions are in a vertical or horizontal line. The star still has those same proportions today.

There are no records to show whether or not the star has been lit every year since 1940. Some said that the star was not lit during WWII. However since the War was ended, the star has been lit every year.

A change in the lighting schedule was made in 1979, during the Christmas season of ‘79 through Jan. 21, 1981. The star was lit for 444 days in recognition of the American hostages who were held in Iran.

Traditionally, the star was lighted only during the Christmas season until 1993 when the El Paso Chamber of Commerce President Jack Maxon started a move to keep the star lit all the year. The star has lighted-up the El Paso skies every evening since then.

On some occasions the star can be lighted in honor or in memory of someone. El Paso Chamber of Commerce coordinates a sponsorship program for the lighting of the star.