Local observatory’s volunteers are the true stars

Someone looking into the 8 inch telescope during a star party (Photo: Kevin Wei, The Puma Prensa)

By Kevin Wei, staff writer

The tranquil midnight, undisturbed by city lights, causes the Milky Way to spill across jet-black skies. The cricket sings and the wind echoes as a concerto. It is here, reposed in the rocky meadows of Sugarloaf State Park, that the Robert Ferguson Observatory (RFO) aims its eyes towards the glittering stars. But even more impressive than the telescopes under its roofs is the amazing community that it houses. The observatory encourages volunteers of all ages to join and help, including high schoolers from Maria Carrillo High School.

The observatory is named after Robert Ferguson, a man who exemplified what the RFO is today. Ferguson was an active member of a club called the Sonoma County Astronomical Society. “He loved stargazing since he was a child, so once he had time as an adult to get into astronomy, he did,” says Colleen Ferguson, Robert Ferguson’s daughter and a current director of the RFO. Ferguson made himself a 16-inch telescope, hand carving the glass into a perfect parabolic shape. 

“He would bring that out to a local shopping center and set it up so the public can look through his telescope…he did a lot of that, trying to engage the public in astronomy,” says Colleen Ferguson.

A major program that Robert Ferguson founded was “Striking Sparks.” It was inspired by the story of a boy who made a telescope with his father out of 6-inch glass, sparking an interest in astronomy. That boy fostered his passion until he eventually became an associate astrophysicist professor at the California Institute of Technology. When Ferguson heard of this, he decided to give away free telescopes to interested school kids, with the goal of “Striking Sparks” in young adults. Initially, to combat expensive retail telescopes, all donation scopes were handmade by Ferguson and his team. Because of their hard work, the annual Striking Sparks program is still in operation, providing telescopes to many Sonoma county students.

Toward his later years, Robert Ferguson became involved in discussions about a new public observatory. However, Ferguson died before it was built. “Two other people, George Loyer and Larry McCune, brought the observatory from a dream to construction,” says Colleen Ferguson. They named the observatory in Robert Ferguson’s honor, and people there continue to cultivate astronomical passion. 

The observatory currently has three telescopes: an impressive 40-inch reflector, an 8-inch refractor, and a 20-inch research-grade telescope. The 40-inch is the largest community telescope in Northern California. The RFO also hosts many events including lectures, classes, and a free virtual speaker series that brings in renowned lecturers like astrophysicists and astronauts from NASA. 

Photo 1: Research-grade telescope within the RFO, Photo 2: The 8in telescope under a closed dome, Photo 3: 40in telescope with open roof during the evening. (Photo: Kevin Wei, The Puma Prensa)

The RFO is the only astronomical observatories in Sonoma County that is open to the public, and it boasts a variety of recreational activities. It is surrounded by Sugarloaf State Park’s beautiful campgrounds and hiking trails. Often campers around the park decide to visit the observatory, even if they have no interest in astronomy. When they “see the rings of Saturn for the first time, their minds are blown,” says Colleen Ferguson. 

On Saturdays closest to the new moon, the RFO is open for a public “Star Party,” an event where anyone can come see through telescopes and watch astronomy presentations. During these parties, the entire observatory glows a soft red (no white lights are allowed to let people’s eyes adjust to darkness). The sky is not distracted by light pollution, allowing people to absorb the stars like nowhere else—even without looking through the telescopes. But there is no other feeling like seeing light from the Orion Nebula reach through the massive hand-carved glass.

Additionally, the observatory, with its many public activities, is primarily run by volunteers. “It truly is for the public and by the public,” says Executive Director Stephanie Derammelaere, one of only two paid staff that works for the RFO. According to her, they have around 200 volunteers. “The observatory’s been around for a little over 25 years, and for most of that time it was all volunteer-run,” she says, “It’s because of their enthusiasm that people really enjoy their visits to the observatory.”

For example, students at MCHS that volunteer at the observatory include seniors Kiara Lizarraga, Erik Dahlhaus, and Sofia Sodhi. 

Lizarraga is still going through the training process. “They are quick to show me that the RFO has a place there for everyone,” she says about the volunteers that are introducing her to the observatory. Everyone is warmly welcomed at the RFO, and anyone is encouraged to take on leadership roles for the community.

“There’s a vibe to [the observatory]. It’s very inviting,” says Dahlhaus, a lead astronomer who has assisted the observatory for over a year.

After the training, more experienced volunteers like Sodhi and Dahlhaus get to work hands-on with the telescopes. “[The RFO] was a great way for me to get into astrophysics and get into telescopes,” says Sodhi, “At first it was a little daunting, but now that I know what I’m doing, it’s kind of cool, you know?”

As for Dahlhaus, “I have led a couple events on my own,” he says, “[and] there was research that I’m involved in with variable stars.” Volunteers from all backgrounds can eventually learn how to operate the telescopes and take part in exciting research

“I learn a lot every time I’m there,” says Sodhi. Yet those lessons extend past the stars. “People come for the telescopes but they come back for the people,” says Derammelaere. 

“You know how we’re going through our day-to-day lives and there’s all these things that are weighing on us and we’re fretting about,” says Colleen Ferguson, “and then you come out and look at the stars. We’re on this planet, with a bunch of other planets, going around this star that’s one of so many stars in this vast universe. And it’s like: ‘Yeah, maybe that thing I was so worried about is not that big of a deal after all.’”