West Marin man brings the moon, stars and more to others with homemade observatory
When Rich Lohman decided to move to Woodacre from Alameda County 18 years ago, he was drawn to its rurality and dark night skies. It was the perfect place for the astronomer to spend his evenings getting lost in the beauty of the universe, looking through his telescope and capturing images of what he found, from beautiful planets to star clusters to galaxies.
A retired high school teacher, Lohman, 81, has spent almost 20 years sharing his love of the cosmos with others in Marin and teaching classes throughout the county. His next one begins Jan. 25 at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center. Register and get more information by emailing him at richneal@pacbell.net.
In 2008, he hand-built his observatory, Over-the-Hill Observatory, named playfully after the hill to get over into the San Geronimo Valley as well as aging.
Q How did you get into astronomy?
A As a kid, I loved looking at the sky and I remember my mom pointing out the Big Dipper and the moon. Into my high-school teaching career — I taught for 32 years at Albany High School — the last 10 or so years, I was given the opportunity to teach physics. I had been teaching math and other kinds of sciences. Physics looked at the early astronomers Galileo, Copernicus and Aristotle. I had to update myself and learn about astronomy. I got a telescope and my first time looking at Juniper and Saturn in the mid-1990s hooked me. I then heard about Hands-On Universe, an educational program that enables students to investigate the universe. I joined that group and self-educated myself through that group.
Q You participated in the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program in 2017. What was that experience like?
A I was in the Peace Corps in Chile from 1965 to 1967. I thought I would return there because I loved the people and the culture, but I had no idea it would be in the form that it turned out to be. When I was living there as a volunteer, I didn’t spend much time looking at the sky. Later, I found out that Chile has since become a mecca for astronomers, so when I found about this ambassador program and being able to visit these big telescopes, I said I want to be a part of that. I got to sit in a control room and talk to a woman astronomer doing research. It was a scale I wasn’t used to and I loved it. I learned more of an appreciation for the larger and international scope of astronomy, and finally to appreciate the southern sky.
Q How did your observatory come together?
A At age 13, I helped my dad build our family home in Bakersfield, so I learned about putting up walls, windows and doors, and electrical wiring. From that time on, I knew in my back of my mind that I wanted to build something. And now I have a wonderful permanent place to have the telescope and have people visit. It took eight months to do the whole thing.
Q What are some memorable things you’ve seen?
A There was a supernova that went off in a galaxy I had taken an image of several years before and I wanted to look at it myself with my own telescope. I invited my grandson, Tristan, who at the time was around 4 or 5, and we spent the night sleeping in my observatory and we ended up taking an image of the supernova. The fact I could see it with my own telescope and not count on a professional astronomer and I could take it with my grandson made it a real plum experience. Jupiter and Saturn are my favorite planets and they are clear with the telescope I have and beautiful to look at. Each year they come around and the first time either of them make an appearance, it’s like, wow, there you are again. They can take my breath away.
Q What do you hope your students learn from you?
A That they will look up in the sky with new eyes and to have them find something in the sky that they connect with. I love to show objects to other people — it’s one of the main reasons I created the observatory. I love to hear other people’s expressions of amazement or beauty, like, “Oh, wow” or “That’s cool.” Both my parents were teachers, so it’s always been in my blood. At my age, in my retirement, I find this a wonderful way to continue my love of the sky, connecting with people and get them involved. It keeps me going.