History of the RFO: Robert Ferguson Observatory ~

Robert Ferguson was an avid amateur astronomer who built telescopes and shared his enthusiasm for astronomy with everyone he met, especially children. He started the Striking Sparks program; a program that gives away telescopes each year to Sonoma County school kids. The telescopes are provided by the Sonoma County Astronomical Society, an organization that Bob was affiliated with for many years. Bob was the inspiration for the development of an observatory as an educational and public resource for the community and so it bears his name.

The idea of a community observatory was in the “dream stage” for about ten years. The Valley of the Moon Observatory Association was founded in July of 1995. Phase 1 of the Observatory (the West Wing) was completed in February, 1997. The second phase (the classroom, bathrooms, library and East Wing) was finished in May, 1999. The final phase, the construction of a domed observatory for our 8” refractor, was completed in early 2003.

The VMOA was allowed to build an observatory inside Sugarloaf Ridge State Park by the State of California. One of the former State Park District superintendents, an amateur astronomer, was an advocate for the idea. The State felt that an observatory would encourage/increase park visitation. The observatory was a community-supported initiative committed to strengthening local science and mathematics education, which also appealed to the State Parks.

The observatory is sited in a location that, on first glance, appears to be less than ideal. Although it appears that the surrounding trees obscure the field of view, it is actually the Observatory walls that limit the telescopes’ range. Additionally, being sited with a protective ring of hills decreases the influence of light pollution from surrounding cities.