Smokey Jack Observatory in Westcliffe in Westcliffe, Colorado

Some people might take the night sky for granted. Seeing a cascade of stars is as simple as looking up in those cases. But for others, the night sky is a precious, and dwindling, resource. According to a 2016 New York Times article, “four out of five Americans live in places where they can no longer see the Milky Way.” Westcliffe, Colorado wasn’t going to be one of those places.

The tiny town located in the Wet Mountain Valley in south-central Colorado embarked on a mission to keep their skies free from light pollution. The result of that work was an official designation as a dark sky community for Westcliffe and neighboring town Silver Cliff, and the construction of the Smokey Jack Observatory to gaze at the effects of that honor.

The observatory is named for a beloved stargazer, Suzanne B. Jack, a.k.a. Smokey Jack, who helped found the Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley. Built in 2015, the observatory has a retractable roof and telescope to track the night sky. The towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff are just one of 36 dark sky communities in the world, five of which are located in Colorado. These communities work hard to keep the skies clear of light pollution, and the result is an unobstructed celestial landscape for stargazing.

The Smokey Jack Observatory is also the highest elevation dark sky observatory in the world, and that comes with a lot of perks. Visitors to the site can expect events throughout the year, including stargazing parties, star festivals, photography workshops, and prime views for astronomical events like comets and meteor showers. For those who can’t make it in person, the site also offers virtual star parties, which give visitors a chance to learn more about the starry skies.

And a recent addition to the site— the electronic assisted star party— takes star gazing to a new heights. Using a camera attached to the telescope, live images are projected on a 10-foot screen located in the site’s recently-built amphitheater.

“This need to seek out the stars has been fueled by the realization that they’ve been there the whole time,” John Barentine, director of public policy at the International Dark Sky Association told Men’s Journal. “We just haven’t been paying attention.”