Stargaze With An Astronomer at The Spot at Smith Rock's Asterisk Observatory
April 7, 2024
Dr. Cassandra (Cassie) Fallscheer followed her passion for math into the stars. While studying high-energy particle physics in college, she was awestruck after attending a talk on astronomy. It was then that she was drawn to the beauty and mystery of the cosmos and her small place in the vastness of the universe. She hasn’t stopped looking up since. Lucky for us, her passion included sharing a closer view with the rest of us. Her non-profit, The Asterisk Observatory, partnered with a local landowner “to allow people to appreciate and learn about the dark skies of Oregon” from the rim of the Lower Gorge near Smith Rock State Park.
Growing up in the dark outskirts of northern California, Cassie would often sleep out on the deck, dozing off after stargazing. But then life took her to more urban settings for a long time. She longed to get back to her stars, and so she eventually moved to dry eastern Washington in 2013 where she felt more in tune with the night skies again. A few times on her drive back to northern California to see her family, she fed a new passion, rock climbing. And what better place to stop along the way than Smith Rock?
“ I had developed a strong love for the night skies of Central Oregon and wanted to share that passion with others.”
Dr. Cassie Fallscheer can’t stop looking up, even during the day. Here she is sporting her eclipse glasses when Central Oregon enjoyed “Totality” in 2017 during the solar eclipse.
Cassie’s “no frills” camping style allows for maximum stargazing.
Climbing by day, sleeping under the stars by night at the Smith Rock Bivy, Cassie knew she had to build an observatory in one of Oregon’s least light-polluted areas. Smith Rock over the years has moved into the “Blue” zone of light pollution, but Bend, just 22 miles away, is “Red.” Parts of the Oregon Outback are still “Black.”
Cassie Fallscheer and Grant Tandy, a NASA-JPL Solar System Ambassador at the Asterisk Observatory near Smith Rock State Park
Approximate location of the Asterisk Observatory just outside of Smith Rock State Park on a current light pollution map
After bringing a small telescope to an event held in the fall of 2022 on the property where lots of people checked out planets, nebulae, star clusters, galaxies and more, Cassie contacted the owner and started to develop plans to put a telescope on the property. “I learned how to start a business, and then how to run it (well, still learning!),” she laughs.
The Moon from the Asterisk Observatory—click to enlarge
Needing to build a structure to protect her investment, the heavy lifting started in the fall of 2023, with the opening day in March of 2024. Together with her astronomy team— Dr. Jesse Feddersen, an instructor on topics from eclipses to black holes at the University of Oregon, and Grant Tandy, currently leading weekly sidewalk astronomy programs in Bend, they provide a hosted experience from now through October between the 3rd quarter and 1st quarter lunar phases when the sky is darkest. Your group’s visit to the observatory includes an overnight stay at The Spot At Smith Rock for up to 6 people. Group sizes of 8 or 10 can be accommodated for an additional cost. All hosted experiences include a short educational presentation, night sky observing through their 17-inch PlaneWave telescope, a guided constellation tour, stargazing, and a Q & A period with hot beverages, and run about 90 minutes with a start time dependent on the time of sunset at that time of year.
While you missed the “Swoon at the Moon & Fun With the Sun” public event on March 16, 2024, Cassie plans to have a few free and open-to-the-public viewing events at the Asterisk Observatory at the Spot at Smith Rock per year. You can contact them with any questions about their mission, organization, collaborations, events, or hosted experiences. Until then, book a hosted experience and keep looking up! (Except when driving into the park, thank you.)
