Stargazers to Catch Martian Views

The Westmont Observatory hosts a summer star party that’s out of this world on Friday, May 16, beginning at 8:30 p.m. and lasting several hours. The observatory, home to Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope, opens every third Friday to the public in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring their own telescopes and love of the night sky to share.

“Mars will still be up as will Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco and Leo, just to name some constellations that we’ll be looking at,” says Jen Ito, assistant professor of physics and director of the observatory. “Vega will be rising, which is one of the three stars of the summer triangle. Hopefully, we'll have clear skies.”

Free parking is available near the observatory, which is between the baseball field and the track and field/soccer complex. To enter Westmont's campus, please use the Main Entrance off of La Paz Road. The lower entrance off of Cold Springs Road is closed to visitors after 7 p.m. In case of cloudy weather, please call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-6272 to see if the viewing has been canceled.