WELCOME TO THE

Westmont Observatory

Westmont invites the community to explore the cosmos during a free public stargazing event Friday, Sept. 18, starting at 7 p.m. and lasting several hours. Held in conjunction with NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night, the evening unleashes the power of Westmont’s Keck Telescope alongside high-powered instruments from the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit to bring deep space into sharp focus.

The event opens early to capture dramatic views of Earth’s orbiting companion before twilight deepens into night.

“Alongside the moon, visitors can observe the Summer Triangle, the Owl Cluster and potentially Saturn toward the end of the night,” says Jennifer Gee, assistant professor of physics and observatory director.

The college hosts free public stargazing events on the third Friday of every month with help from local astronomers who set up additional telescopes surrounding the observatory, offering attendees multiple viewing angles and expert insights into various celestial objects.

Free parking is available near the Westmont Observatory, located between the baseball field and the track and field/soccer complex. Visitors must enter campus using the main entrance off La Paz Road, as the lower entrance on Cold Springs Road closes to visitors at 7 p.m.

In case of cloudy skies, visitors should check the observatory website or call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-6272 to confirm whether the event remains on schedule.

KECK TELESCOPE

A Powerful Instrument for Astronomical Observations at Westmont

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The Keck Telescope, a computer-controlled 24-inch F/8 Cassegrain reflector with Ritchey-Chretien optics (the same configuration used on the Hubble Space Telescope), has served as a versatile instrument for Westmont faculty and students for over a decade and remains one of the most powerful telescopes on the California Central Coast. Not only has the device been used for a variety of research projects and coursework, but it has also been a source of awe and inspiration for the greater Santa Barbara community.

The Westmont Observatory also serves as one of the free, public observing sites for the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU) every third Friday of the month. In particular, the Keck Telescope has provided clearer and more dramatic demonstrations of the splendor of God’s creation to members of the broader Santa Barbara community, including young children and students in local schools.

“The observatory remains a signature component of the Westmont campus and a favorite among our current students and returning alumni,” says Professor Bob Haring-Kaye from the Department of Physics and Engineering. “We are excited to see how this facility will continue to be used to provide outstanding educational experiences, including meaningful research experiences, to our students and point to the artistic grandeur of the Creator.”

Three students walking in front of the Carroll Observatory.

The Keck Telescope

History

The original Westmont College Observatory was dedicated on June 1, 1957. (It has since been replaced by a new observatory in 2010.) The main dome featured a 16.5-inch reflector which was made and donated by George Carroll. The scope was equipped for spectroscopic and micrometric work, whose introduction originally made national news.

More recently, the original telescope caught the limelight as a group of amateur astronomers from the Santa Barbara Astronomy group observed the rotation of Mars with a CCD camera (Astronomy Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 92.) These were some of the very first CCD images of Mars taken by amateurs.