Tupper Lake

Even with its scenic mountain and lake views, Tupper Lake would like to be known for its darkness.

Tucked into a remote corner of the Adirondack Park, far from even midsized cities and more than 1,500 feet above sea level, Tupper Lake is endowed with a "dark sky" that's perfect for stargazing.

A small corps of local astronomy buffs knew this more than a decade ago and, using donated telescopes, started work on an observatory that opened in 2014, complete with a roll-off roof that allows clear nighttime viewing.

Now, they are looking to turn the Adirondack Public Observatory into an astroscience center complete with research-grade telescopes that would attract scientists and astronomers from across the East Coast and beyond.

The Adirondack Public Observatory draws visitors and astronomers from Clarkson and St. Lawrence universities, both about an hour away.

"Those that are involved in astronomy in general know about us already," said Seth McGowan, the local school superintendent who is also vice president of the nonprofit's executive board, which is raising money to move the project forward.

"It's good for us to be off the beaten path. For astronomy it's quiet and it's dark," he said.

While remote, the observatory was buzzing on a recent Friday, which is the weekly stargazing night for townspeople and anyone else who wants to join in.

Two dozen people showed up around 8:30 just as the sun was setting over the lake and the constellations came into view. As they took turns peering through a telescope that was trained on Saturn, Gordie Duval, a retired science teacher in Tupper Lake, offered tips to the visitors. "Look off to the side," he said, explaining that an averted angle makes the best use of the eye's ability to pick up light.

Saturn and its rings were a bright, snowy white. Photos that people see of Saturn are often color-enhanced since the naked eye can't see the subtle colors of the planet and its rings, Duval said.

Stepping carefully in the darkness, Duval then took the group out on the lawn in front of the observatory. He explained how the structure was built on a north-south axis, with the North Star above the roof's peak.

Using a laser pointer, he highlighted the Big and Little dippers as well as Vega, the brightest star in the sky.

Duval helped spark McGowan's interest in astronomy several years ago when he saw a presentation that Duval put on for elementary school students.

And around that time, a pair of astronomy buffs, Tim Moeller, a correction officer, and Marc Staves, a utility lineman, were working on the observatory, both for their hobby and to create something to do for kids in this remote town that is short on entertainment.

They, too, are aware that the lack of surrounding light makes for good stargazing conditions in Tupper Lake.

Another plus: the Adirondacks' notoriously cold winter nights, which means low humidity and even clearer viewing.

There's a drawback though. The telescope room is unheated to minimize distortion between indoors and outdoors, and that makes for some chilly viewing on winter nights.

Darkness is in demand these days, with a growing awareness of light pollution and the desire by people for dramatic nighttime views of the sky.

There is even an Arizona-based group, the International Dark Sky Association, that advocates for minimal light at night, not just for stargazing but for what they say are the salutatory effects of a natural unlit sky on human health as well as wildlife.

Communities can seek dark sky designations. There is a methodology called a Bortle scale, that quantifies light pollution and its impact on the visibility of features such as the Milky Way, which is clearly visible in the southern sky above Tupper Lake.

The focus on dark skies is a departure from the days when Tupper Lake was known as a logging and mill town. It was once home to a major maker of wooden bowls and spoons, including the kind that came with ice-cream treats.

It's also the spot where a Pennsylvania-based developer has for more than a decade been trying to redevelop the dormant Big Tupper ski area and surrounding acreage in to a full scale resort with condos and luxury cabins.

While they have many of the needed permits to move ahead, the project appears stalled by a lack of funds.

Money will also play a role in growing the observatory, but progress is being made.

The observatory secured a $70,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the town, and hired Albany's Envision Architects to draw up plans for what is contemplated to be a full scale center with classrooms.

If you go ADIRONDACK PUBLIC OBSERVATORY Winter Schedule: From Labor Day through Memorial Day, stargazing takes place on the 1st and 3rd Friday evening of each month, weather permitting. Stargazing begins about ½ hour after sunset. Cost: Free See More Collapse

The boosters have had their share of good luck.

David Levy, for whom the Shoemaker Levy 9 comet is named, has helped out after learning about the effort through a friend in nearby Long Lake, Duval said. Levy, who is a celebrity among stargazers, has visited and donated a 12-inch mirror telescope.

Another fortunate connection came with Al Nagler, an executive in the optics industry, who had a sister in Tupper Lake.

He also pitched in with equipment when he learned of the observatory, as did the Everest family, which built telescopes. They gave a refurbished telescope that still uses the same kitchen clock motor it was equipped with in 1927. (Mounted telescopes move slowly to follow the Earth's rotation through the night).

As a utility expert, Staves, one of the original founders, got the local power company to use special street lamps in town that focus light downward rather than outward. "That reduced our light signature quite a bit," Duval said.

If the observatory gets a larger grant it is seeking from the state, it could break ground on a foundation, said Carol Levy, an amateur astronomer and grandmother who is the group's executive board president.

A New Jersey native who now lives in Tupper Lake, Levy believes the center could be a tourist draw, perhaps working in concert with the nearby Adirondack Wild Center, which interprets the region's natural habitat on the ground.

"They look up to the sky, they see something they can't see in New York (City) or New Jersey and it's beautiful," Levy said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com • 518-454-5758 • @RickKarlinTU