East Bay Astronomical Society brings stargazing to Richmond waterfront

On a crisp, fall night, astronomers from the East Bay Astronomical Society gathered along the Richmond waterfront with locals ensconced in scarves and jackets, hoping for a glimpse of the stellar treasures a clear night sky has to offer.

The Astronomical Society hosted the stargazing event at Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, in collaboration with the Richmond Library, drawing a lively crowd of about 30, including several families with young kids and even a pet or two.

Equipped with various-sized telescopes, laptops, and iPads, the volunteers worked nimblily in near complete darkness, with only a few red lights — typically used in astronomy events to preserve dark-adapted vision — illuminating the scene as they made adjustments and checked coordinates to provide a dazzling tour of stars, planets, and nearby galaxies.

Several computers displayed spectacular images, much to the delight of the junior astronomers, who happily bounced between the telescopes and the screens, asking questions and discovering the cosmos — some for the first time.

"I saw Saturn!" one boy said, beckoning to his parents to look through the lens and view the ringed planet for themselves.

Ross Bishop, a volunteer with the Astronomical Society, patiently guided those seeking a peek up to the telescope, which was fixed on the planet shining brightly through the lens. "What do you see?" Bishop coaxed. "Do you see a line? Those are Saturn's rings."

Bishop said this was the first time the Astronomical Society hosted an event in Richmond, but the view from the Miller/Knox shoreline proved to be a good one, lacking the intrusion of bright city lights.

"There's light pollution all over the Bay Area, which makes observing a little challenging, but this is a great spot," Bishop said.

A waxing crescent moon obliged observers by keeping its light minimal, helping to maintain a sharp focus on dimmer, more distant night-sky objects.

The society regularly partners with schools and libraries for evening star parties and other outreach events throughout the year, during which experienced astronomy volunteers bring out telescopes and other equipment to share close-up views of the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.

The East Bay Astronomical Society, which operates out of Chabot Space & Science Center, says its mission is to "increase the public's knowledge of astronomy and the space sciences, and introduce the infinite wonder and intrigue of the night sky to everyone." The society offers events, classes, and unobstructed views of the universe from the Oakland hills.

For more information, visit: https://eastbayastro.org/

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