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Chasing darkness: Finding the last starry skies in the Capital Region

October 28, 2025

Happy Tuesday! Welcome to our new publishing schedule. As a reminder, we’re now pushing out the newsletter on TUESDAYS only. For more frequent updates and restaurant recommendations, be sure to follow our Instagram or Facebook.

Going to once-a-week means we can spend more time putting together awesome events, like our first Curious Table: “Dinner and a Dark Sky Reckoning,” featuring Dr. Mindy Townsend, the Dudley Observatory astronomer. Over a three-course meal at Hilltown Commons, Dr. Townsend will show us how cities are stealing our ability to view the heavens—then take us outside for stargazing with a telescope 🪐🔭

This event SOLD OUT within a few days 😅 Sign up for updates at Curious Table to be the first to hear about more events like this. Today’s story offers a taste of our conversation on Sunday evening.

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Today in The 518:

  • How our cities are stealing our stars

  • Trader Joe’s opens in Glenmont

  • Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. heads to Scotia

  • The Dickinson Hill Fire Tower reopens

  • A serene cabin hideaway is our Home of the Week

  • Top 5 Weekend & all the best events this Halloween Week 🎃 

Chasing darkness: Finding the last starry skies in the Capital Region

Once, the night sky was so dark that it could blind you with awe.

The grand arc of the ancient Milky Way cracked open with stars each night, a cosmic vista that we still recognize instantly—when we can actually see it.

Now, most of us live beneath a sky that never truly darkens. The stars are still there, but drowned out in the glow of our cities, hidden behind street lamps, parking lots, and porch lights left burning through the night.

In the Capital Region, as in much of the world, light pollution has crept in slowly, but with an increasing speed. A 2023 study published in Science shows just how fast it’s accelerating: Each year, the sky grows 10% brighter. For a child born today, that means that by the time they turn 18, the night sky that they gaze upon at will be twice as bright as it is now. As they reach adulthood, will they even know what a star looks like to the naked eye?

For defenders of dark skies, this loss is heartbreaking.

Scientists measure night-sky brightness with the Bortle Scale, a nine‑level rating from Class 1 (the darkest of skies) to Class 9 (inner‑city glare). In a Class 1 zone, the Milky Way is bright and detailed; in Class 7+ environments, it may be faint or completely invisible. 

“We’ve got whole generations of people in the United States who have never seen the Milky Way,” says Chris Elvidge, a scientist who studies night-time lights around the globe. “It’s a big part of our connection to the cosmos—and it’s been lost.”

Smack in the middle of Albany, the Bortle Scale is off the charts at 8 or 9. You would need to head far into the Adirondacks—between Brant Lake and Lake George, for example—to find Class 2 skies. 

You can get these ratings for your location using the Light Pollution Map (drag and zoom until you find your location, and click on the map to pull up the Bortle rating).

Meeting other stargazers

Looking to meet other folks who also treasure the night sky? The Albany Area Amateur Astronomers get together every third Thursday of the month at Siena University and organize “star parties” at places like the George Landis Arboretum in Esperance and Grafton Lakes State Park. While the season for star parties is sadly over, the Dudley Observatory at Siena is putting on a talk on cosmology on Nov. 14. (Fun fact: The Dudley has the largest telescope in the Capital Region.)

The Dudley also puts out a daily report called Skywatch Line that tells you interesting things to see in that evening’s night sky.

How you can help

DarkSky.org is a volunteer-run group of dark sky advocates. You can become a local advocate to help educate other people about light pollution. Also be sure to check out their guide: 5 Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting.

Light pollution isn’t just about missing shiny stars—it’s about losing the connection to our primordial sky (not to mention the impact on wildlife and delicate ecosystems).

With a bit of planning, you can recapture a good view of the stars. Use the Light Pollution Map to find a dark patch and make a night-time adventure of it. Another good place to start is the TU’s guide to the best hikes for stargazing.

Go forth & defend the darkness, my friends.

🛒 Retail alert: The new Trader Joe’s in Glenmont is now open for business. A grand opening celebration took place this morning in the Glenmont Shopping Plaza at 388 Feura Bush Road. Now, go get your Mandarin orange chicken. [News10]

☕️ WAMC takes a look at the growing Muslim population in the Capital Region as the Yemeni coffeehouse concept arrives. [WAMC]

🍺 Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. is opening up a second taproom and restaurant in Scotia. Its original 17-acre location in Glenville will continue to serve as a taproom and event space. Coincidentally, we met with Eddie Del Castillo, the director of hospitality at Wolf Hollow, just yesterday. We’re gonna do some cool events together! [Albany Business Review]

🔥 A restoration project on the last remaining fire tower in Rensselaer County has been completed. Built in 1924, the Dickinson Hill Fire Tower is a popular hiking destination. The restoration work included repairing all of the steps and the entire platform deck. [News10]

Camaraderie abounds along the trail at the Veterans Day Ruck March 📷️ New Scotland Spirits

The Veterans Day Ruck March in Voorheesville has grown into a powerful tradition—part workout, part tribute, and all heart. Each year, hundreds of participants strap on weighted packs (or not) and hike 6.8 miles to help those who have served.

Now in its fourth year, the march returns on Saturday, Nov. 8, raising funds for three nonprofits supporting veterans and first responders: Hidden Battles Foundation, Boot Campaign, and the Capital Region Veterans Memorial. It also gathers thousands of pounds of nonperishables for food pantries across the region.

Lace up, load up, and join the mission—every step makes a difference.

Tucked away on a quiet dirt road that leads directly into Harvey Mountain State Forest, this newly built cabin in Austerlitz is a place to breathe deep… and exhale. Pull in to the sound of a gentle waterfall, and mosey up to this beautifully crafted hideaway. Inside is an open layout with a full kitchen and solid sleeping loft—all built with natural materials. It’s small but so very lovely.

The real delight begins with the 11 acres of land, which includes a handcrafted sauna, outdoor shower, radiant-heated bathhouse, and a huge deck overlooking your own patch of forest. Includes a cleared lot that is prepped with propane heat, a water system, and a whole-house generator for a second dwelling. It’s all a short drive from Chatham, Great Barrington, and Hudson.

The deets: 11 acres, 0 bd, 1 ba, 600 sf. Asking: $525,000. Days on market: 5. See the full listing here.

⭐️ 🏮The Albany Lantern Parade is one of the most magical sights you’ll see all year in Washington Park. Hundreds of people gather at the Lakehouse and proceed to light up the lake with a procession of homemade lanterns. Music provided by the Albany High School Jazz Ensemble. Sunday, 4:30–5:45p, free.

⭐️ ✏️ Archtober closes with a big ‘ol Art Party at Collar Works in Troy. Enjoy an evening celebrating contemporary art and architecture in Collar Works’ soon-to-be outdoor Art Yard space. Featuring a performance by the architecture-inspired 80's throwback band Architrave, the FLOCKart exhibition by Eli Thorne, DJ vibes and dance set by groop.lab. We’ve already got our tix—see you there! Sat, 4–9p, $25-$100.

⭐️ 🔥 For 10 years running, the Russell Sage Fine Arts Department has put on an outdoor art show called the Fire & Light Night. Come check out all kinds of inspired and inventive outdoor art installations, each one lighting up the scene around Opalka Gallery. Thursday, 6-7:30p, free.

⭐️ 🖼️ This month’s Troy Night Out falls right on Halloween. Get downtown for Monster Mash, a full evening of Halloween fun, including costume contests, block parties, vendor market, and a surprise flash mob. Also, don’t miss the closing party for Architecture is Art!, at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, which is also putting on Panic! At The Expo, an immersive haunted exhibition.

⭐️ 🎃 Adult Halloween will be going off this weekend. With Halloween arriving on Friday this year, the kids get their trick-or-treating first, then the grownups come out to play.

TUESDAY

💃 Tonight, get naughty-spooky with Velvet Visions, a special edition of the bi-monthly burlesque variety show at September’s Too.

👻 Shiver along with Whispering Bones: an Evening of Ghost Stories at Proctors.

🗳️ Meet the mayoral candidates for City of Albany at a forum hosted by the Government Law Center at Albany Law School.

WEDNESDAY

🛝The City of Albany unveils its new playground in Washington Park (new date due to expected rain this week).

🧟 The Zombie Community Fun Run on the Albany Skyway is a light-hearted race with the potential for free beer!

🖼️ Wednesday through Saturday, expand your revolutionary repertoire with An Impossible Address, an art installation by Suneil Sanzgiri at EMPAC.

🎬️ Join a Decolonial Practices in Film Workshop with YouthFX’s Bhawin Suchak at the Sanctuary for Independent Media. Or show up at 7 for a screening and discussion of the film Golden Jubilee with filmmaker Suneil Sanzgiri.

🍺 Enjoy Bingo Night at Wolf Hollow Brewing Company, or hold your howls for Saturday with The Retrobilleze.

THURSDAY

🎬️ Drop into the Picture Lock 1 bank vault in Troy and open your mind with a screening of “Antoni Gaudí”—less a documentary than a visual contemplation on the famous Spanish architect.

FRIDAY

🎃 Bring the kids to Crossgates for its annual Malloween, starting at 3 pm. Albany’s Palace Theatre is also offering a safe place for trick-or-treating. Click here for a list of trunk-or-treat events across the Capital Region,

🐘 If you ever wanted to learn more about the impressive “Cohoes Mastodon” at the NYS Museum, join this 30-minute tour of the exhibit led by one of the museum’s paleontologists.

SATURDAY 

🇰🇷 Taste of Korea offers all kinds of traditional treats and eats.

🔧 Patch things up with the Repair Cafe at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Scotia.

🥊 Come out swinging with the We Want All the Smoke boxing event at the Armory.

🏂️ Get to the Upstate Sports Winter Expo to find the latest in winter sports gear.

SUNDAY

🍾 Get fizzed with Pét Nat Palooza at Farm House Food, a Bocage Champagne Bar event.

🤣 Have a good laugh with Tellabration! 2025: Laughing Matters at Proctors.

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