Discovery
Six working astronomers and a programme of research that has contributed to forty-one peer-reviewed papers since 1992 - transit timing, variable stars, supernova follow-up.
A quiet ridge, kept dark on purpose.
Aether Observatory has opened its dome to guests since 1987. We are a working research station first - and a place where the night is taken seriously, by people who still find it astonishing.
Our Story
Thirty-seven years above the lights.
The observatory was founded in 1987 by Dr. Eleanor Whitmore on a ridge her grandfather had homesteaded a century earlier - 2,340 metres above sea level, eighty miles from the nearest interstate, Bortle Class 2 on a good night.
We began with a single twelve-inch refractor and an open invitation: visiting astronomers could book nights without charge, in exchange for sharing their findings with the public the following week. That arrangement still stands.
In 2003 we added the Aether‑24 Cassegrain, our flagship. In 2014 we built the lodge so guests no longer had to huddle in vehicles between observations. In 2021 the ridge road was paved - reluctantly - and we now shuttle guests the final two miles to limit traffic.
We remain family-run, privately funded, and deliberately small.
Mission & Values
Three commitments, carried forward.
Education
Free evenings for regional school groups, a two-week summer residency for university students, and a scholarship fund that has sent fourteen young astronomers to graduate programmes.
Preservation
Founding members of the Sierra Dark Sky Coalition. Every light on the ridge is shielded, amber, and on a sunset timer - including the ones in our own lodge.
The People
Who will meet you at the dome.
A director, two senior astronomers, an educator and an engineer - plus the four-legged staff on the ridge.
Dr. Lyra Chen
Director · since 2009
Cosmologist, Caltech PhD 2007. Leads private observing nights and the summer residency programme.
Dr. Rafael Ortiz
Senior Astrophotographer · since 2014
Published imaging of twenty-three Messier objects. Leads all astrophotography workshops.
Amara Okonkwo
Head of Education · since 2018
Former museum curator. Designs school-group sessions and the printed guest materials.
Soren Halvorsen
Chief Engineer · since 2011
Keeps the mounts aligned, the domes rotating, and the generators running through mountain winter.
Equipment
The twelve-instrument collection.
Our most-used six, catalogued. The full list - including our six visual-use Dobsonians - is available on request.
| Instrument | Aperture | Focal ratio | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aether‑24 Cassegrain | 610 mm | f/8 | Deep-sky visual & imaging · Paramount ME II |
| Takahashi TOA‑150 | 150 mm | f/7.3 | Wide-field refractor · guest introduction |
| Celestron EdgeHD 11 | 279 mm | f/10 | Planetary & lunar high-resolution |
| Obsession 18" Dobsonian | 457 mm | f/4.2 | Visual observing · rich-field |
| Televue NP‑101 | 101 mm | f/5.4 | Wide-field astrograph · guest portable |
| ZWO ASI6200MM Pro | - | - | Cooled CMOS imaging · 62 MP, IMX455 |
Visit the ridge.
We open four or five nights a week, weather permitting, from March through November.