Orion Perspectives urges Visitors at Long View to “Keep Looking Up”
John Sponauer has had a passion for all things astronomy since childhood. Now, as an adult, it is not a full-time job, he says, but a hobby. A somewhat expensive, but very fulfilling hobby.
“I've always been interested in stargazing as long as I can remember. Even as a kid, I remember looking up in just awe at the stars, Orion in the wintertime and constellations,” said Sponauer.
Presented with a sophisticated telescope by a friend some 30 years ago, Sponauer has since put it to good use. He started as a Scoutmaster with Troop 45 of Southington, helping scouts to achieve badges in recognition of their dedication to learning about space.
Lately, though, he has had an opportunity to use the telescope even more through his company Orion Perspectives, which he founded last year.
“I was doing this as a volunteer, and then people started coming up to me and saying, 'Hey, could I hire you for my kid's birthday party? Could I hire you for my dad's birthday party?' And I thought, 'Could this be a business?' Because I'm getting close to retirement, and I thought this could be a retirement business. So I started Orion Perspectives last August,” said Sponauer.
He can often be found sharing his love of the sky at Long View Ciderhouse on Long Bottom Road, which he deems the perfect location for educating the public about the stars and planets above them.
“I think it pairs perfectly with this incredible natural setting, where we're up in this amazing dark sky site, where we can see so much, and it's a business that appreciates the land and nature and everything around us,” said Sponauer.
It was August 2023 when Sponauer first found out about Long View Ciderhouse.
Jeff Rogers, whose family owns Rogers Orchards, had recently returned to Connecticut from New York City, where he was a teacher. Looking for a change of pace, he started Long View in the summer of 2023. Shortly after opening, he was approached by Sponauer, who offered to set up his telescope on the deck and show visitors planets and stars.
“I was blown away that he would be so generous just to offer to do that for customers. He was gifted a telescope and just loves to share his passion, and we're all for it,” said Rogers. “He's always just been super generous, and he's just down for sharing his love of the sky. You get talking to him, and within the first few minutes, he's telling you something unfathomable about our universe or our solar system, and so I just thought it was a natural fit.”
That started a partnership that lasts to today. October 8 was Sponauer’s 40th time hosting at Longview. Some nights, he merely sets up the telescopes and binoculars and invites visitors to see whatever is visible. Other nights have themes, such as the ongoing Autumn Sky Series or events dedicated to important events such as eclipses.
“Saturn is great. The moon is great. Venus is awesome. The Sun is awesome. All these things are very approachable targets for even the most basic entry-level telescope, and I've got a little bit nicer than that here. To introduce people to what's above them everyday, and just have them look on in perspective and wonder, that's what keeps me going and doing this,” said Sponauer.
The partnership with Long View is mutually beneficial for both Rogers and Sponauer. Sponauer, who insists on doing the astronomy viewings as a volunteer, is able to have a space that “perfectly” fits what he needs. Rogers is able to attract a new crowd to his ciderhouse venture.
Astronomy nights have been a hit at Long View. While grabbing cider or a bite to eat from a rotating list of vendors, visitors of all ages can also stop by the telescopes and learn about something that does not involve screens.
Sponauer says his day job in marketing is often screen-heavy. Getting people off their phones and experiencing the same natural wonders that humans have encountered since the dawn of time is why Sponauer enjoys educating the crowds at Long View the old-fashioned way - by looking through a telescope.
“I don't have a computer screen. I don't have a tracker on it. I want people to look through glass like Galileo did, because it's real. It's not your phone. It's not Netflix. It's not some movie. You're looking through glass like Galileo did in the 1600s,” said Sponauer.
“We are a bar first and foremost," said Rogers, "but a lot of the customers that come out for the astronomy viewings, I wouldn't categorize them as regular bar-goers. It's more families and older individuals. It's still just amazing to me that we can bring out a whole other segment of the community who might not have been interested in hard cider or brandy or anything like that, but has a similar passion for astronomy."
As visitors look at the natural sites, Sponauer offers short history and astronomy lessons. Younger attendees get a free NASA astronaut trading card, while adults can hear how the stars have inspired humans across generations.
On October 8, Sponauer was hosting part of the ongoing Autumn Sky Series, and showing Saturn, meteor showers and the Double Cluster of Perseus star cluster. He offered viewers brief stories of how ancient cultures around the world interpreted the stars in their legends and mythologies.
That commitment to sharing his passion is what makes Sponauer a teacher in his own right, Rogers says.
“As a former teacher, I was inspired by John's passion for the subject of astronomy and sharing what he knows,” said Rogers. “I think he's a real teacher at heart. Some 90% of my staff have turned out to be teachers. I sort of gravitate towards current and former teachers. I think John has that passion for sharing knowledge and community, and that's what really stood out.”
Sponauer’s “students” have experienced a range of reactions. One woman, upon viewing stars through a set of powerful binoculars, was so moved by what she saw that she began to cry.
What Sponauer really hopes all of his visitors get out of their experience is a change in perspective. It harkens back to the motto of Orion Perspectives, “Keep Looking Up." It is something that one does not need to be an astronomy nerd to experience.
“Whatever kind of day you had, Saturn doesn't care. It's been up there long before you. It'll be there long after you,” said Sponauer. “You're a tiny person on a small rock, around a small star that is totally unaffected by whatever problems you have in your life. The change of perspective that comes from astronomy, I think, is amazing.”
