Star Party Features Saturn, Jupiter

Westmont’s final monthly stargazing event of 2024 features two gas giants, Orion, the Owl Cluster and the Andromeda galaxy on Friday, Dec. 20, at 6:30 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Along with the college’s powerful Keck Telescope, members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit bring their telescopes to share with the public.

“Saturn and Jupiter will open the evening with Orion rising later,” says Jen Ito, assistant professor of physics. “My favorite, the Owl Cluster, will be high in the sky as well as the Andromeda galaxy, which is our closest neighboring spiral galaxy at 2.5 million light-years away. It will be a beautifully dark night sky as the moon is not going to rise until past 10 p.m.”

Free parking is available near the Westmont 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 overcast weather, please call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-6272 and check the observatory website to see if the viewing has been canceled.