While we have all marveled at the bright stars above, sometimes you wonder if really appreciate what we have? It is easy to overlook the dark skies of the Catskills with all the beauty and outdoor adventure these mountains offer.

Astronomers have rated the Catskills as one of the darkest areas around. In particular they have zeroed in on Meeker Hollow in Roxbury as being the second darkest skies in New York (the darkest skies are in the Adirondack Mountains). The Meeker Hollow skies have an SQM rating (a measure of the amount of light) of 21.7—about as dark as it gets. This valley has high ridges and is narrow in width, which makes it naturally ideal. The man-made light is minimal due the large tracts of land with few inhabitants.

Meeker Hollow Valley is home to Plattekill Ski Resort and Stone Tavern Farm. The 400-acre farm has a B&B, a horse trail ride business, a summer Horse Camp for kids, an ATV trail ride business, is a great location for weddings and parties and hosts six monthly star gazing weekends from May through October.

In the cities or suburbs, there is visual magnitude limit of 3, which allows you to see a handful of stars. At Stone Tavern Farm in Meeker Hollow, the visual magnitude limit is a 6.5, which allows you to see thousands of stars with the naked eye. ou can also see Saturn, Jupiter and Mars without a telescope. With a telescope up here, the sky is literally the limit. The Milky Way, Uranus and Neptune and many more are simply brilliant.

The Amateur Observers Society of New York holds an annual star gazing party or Star Fest. This year, it is on June 19-21 at the Stone Tavern Farm in Roxbury. On Friday night from 7 to 10 pm, the general public is invited to come and listen to speakers and do some actual observing through the group’s large telescopes when the sun sets. There is a solar telescope that allows you to look right at the sun as well. With this very unique telescope, you can see the flames flickering on the sun’s surface. Admission is free, but there is a small fee to stay after 10 pm or to come on Saturday night. Please see www.aosny.org or www.StoneTavernFarm.com for details.

The next time you are sitting outside listening to the sounds of the night, look up and enjoy one of the Catskill’s unspoken treasures.