Wine Country Star Party

02/23/2025

Our Solar System 😎 vs. the Biggest Black Hole Ever Found 🕳️

Well, this is humbling! TON 618, the largest known black hole, is 66 billion times the mass of our Sun and a diameter 30–40 times wider than our entire solar system.

To put that into perspective, if our entire solar system (including the distant Oort Cloud) were placed next to it, it would be completely swallowed within its gravitational abyss. Nothing, not even light, escapes once it crosses the boundary.

And here’s the mind-blowing part: The light we see from TON 618 has been traveling for over 18.2 billion years just to reach us. That means this cosmic monster existed long before Earth even formed.

The universe doesn’t just make us feel small; it redefines what “big” even means. 🤯

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/universe/nasa-animation-sizes-up-the-universes-biggest-black-holes/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIkEGJleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRQQoaU-uSMvZeVqfgMVw25Zq773J5-EgX_7ShvqaJNL_tVM83zK99kwEA_aem_QJxFimNJVCPPC48A8ajqZA

12/15/2024

Attention 1st-8th Grade Future Astronomers!

Applications are now OPEN for our Striking Sparks program until February! Visit our website and talk to your science teacher to learn more about how you can WIN A TELESCOPE!

Apply now: https://rfo.org/index.php/striking-sparks/

To get started, download the application form from our website and bring it to your science teacher or an RFO member. Applicants must be Sonoma County students in grades 1-8. You'll also need to attend at least one Robert Ferguson Observatory event and write a short essay about your love for astronomy.
Spark your curiosity and unlock the cosmos with your very own telescope!

11/14/2024

Photo Credit: Robert Grant The purpose of the Striking Sparks program is to promote science education and interest in astronomy for Sonoma County students. The program’s name comes from Robert Ferguson and a student building a telescope together; this struck a “Spark” of interest that contribu...

09/25/2024