Keir Dullea, star of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ views the night sky from Sugarloaf’s observatory

“Open the pod bay door, Hal. Open the pod bay door...”

Those words are etched in the memory of millions of boomers, who watched in fascination (and various states of intoxication) Stanley Kubrick's futuristic film “2001: A Space Odyssey” upon its release 50 years ago this April.

“I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.” It was a chilling foretaste of computer-human conflict, which led in the film to an explosive climax and a poignant denouement.

Of course, the predictions of the film haven't really borne out – no giant black monolith was discovered on the dark side of the moon, no interplanetary expedition sent to Jupiter, and Pan Am didn't ever launch their private space shuttle (they went bankrupt in 1991).

But Keir Dullea, the actor who played astronaut Dave Bowman, still has his eyes on the stars. On a recent visit to Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, the actor was hiking with his wife, stage actress Mia Dillon. They stopped by Robert Ferguson Observatory and were invited in by manager Steve Smith – who didn't know who the 81-year-old actor was at first.

“Whenever we see people lingering near the observatory we ask them if they'd like a tour, if we're open,” said Smith. “So that's how they learned about us, purely an accident.”

He invited them back a few evenings later with some friends to meet the docents and look through the observatory's telescopes. “Both Keir and Mia have a keen interest in astronomy and really enjoy visiting with us, looking through the scopes and learning a bit about the objects they were seeing.”

That recent February night, the sky was awash in stars as the moon was four days away from its darkest phase. Smith pointed out the Crab Nebula, Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy among other features; and they all looked at the Crab Nebula through the 40-inch telescope.

They also gathered around the new 20-inch Ritchey-Chretien scope, which RFO has had for less than a year, and examined the digital display of a distant galaxy.

The observatory was named for amateur astronomer Robert Ferguson who liked to build his own scopes, many of which he donated to local schools. It offers tours by appointment most weekends, but is also open to the public for monthly Star Parties during the dark of the moon – as on this Saturday, March 17.

The party begins at 8 p.m., and admission is $3 for 18 and over, free for younger. At that time less celestial visitors can look through the same telescopes that Astronaut Dave Bowman used.

Dullea has continued acting, though hardly with the same breakthrough visibility the Kubrick film brought him.

Most recently he appeared as Steve, the charismatic leader of a quasi-religious cult in the Hulu series “The Path” (almost unrecognizable, as he spend much of this screen time on life support).

His wife, Mia Dillon, though also a frequent television actress, has primarily spent her career on the stage in New York. She has a brother who lives in Occidental, whom they occasionally visit. And when they do, they like to come to RFO.

“We've enjoyed spending time with them,” said Smith. “They're very gracious, friendly, and enthusiastic.”

Down to earth, one might say.

Contact Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com.