Astro-photographer Chris Hetlage stands in his telescope viewing structure in Taliaferro County, Ga., with the stars seen clearly in the night sky.

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SHARON, Ga. — The most important rule at this remote vacation spot is simple: no white light. Even a sliver of the pupil-contracting rays coming from the window of a cabin at Deerlick Astronomy Village could ruin a neighbor's view of the Milky Way. The 96-acre village in rural Taliaferro County in eastern Georgia is designed for amateur stargazers looking for total darkness and wide-open spaces to build weekend homes.

"It's like a lake house for geeks," said Chris Hetlage, co-founder of the village, as he tromped through the darkness toward his observatory.

Hetlage said he and his business partners figured the development would be popular.

There are only two other such communities nationwide — one in Florida and one in Arizona — and he said the demand for dark skies is soaring as suburban sprawl produces more light pollution.

The grassy field lined with trees holds six homes and nine observatories, which look like tiny cabins with retractable roofs. Next to the houses is a 10-acre hilltop observation field where stargazers who don't want to buy property can pitch a tent and scan the sky for free. The field is the new home of the Atlanta Astronomy Club's telescope and the 300-member group's annual stargazing festival, held earlier this month.

Deerlick property owners are vigilant about white light, which contracts pupils for about a half-hour and makes it tough to see anything in the dark. The houses' outdoor lights are a dim red — a color that doesn't affect the eyes the same way as white light. And windows must be lined with foam board or other light-blocking materials to prevent rays from escaping. Motorists may use only their parking lights after dark.

Five years ago, Hetlage and friend Donovan Conrad began hunting for small plots of land where they could build their personal observatories.

Hetlage and Conrad bought a large parcel outside Atlanta to create Deerlick, named for a cluster of galaxies called the Deer Lick Group.