Stargazers to View Jupiter Ascending

The ringed, gas giant Juniper will be the star attraction at this month’s free public viewing on Friday, March 20, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. In case of inclement or overcast weather, please call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-­6272 and check the Westmont website to see if the viewing has been canceled.

“By viewing time, Jupiter will be high in the sky,” says Thomas Whittemore, Westmont physics instructor. “If conditions are good, we should be able to see considerable detail on its surface through Westmont’s 8-­inch refractor telescope.”

The moon will not rise until morning, allowing Whittemore to also focus on several bright galaxies in Ursa Major and Leo. “In particular, there are a couple of galaxy triplets, galaxies that come in threes, in Leo that are spectacular,” he says.

Whittemore says he will use the Keck Telescope, a 24-­inch reflector, to zoom in on the Orion Nebula. “If conditions are favorable, we should be able to see all six stars in the nebula’s Trapezium,” he says. “These are the main stars which drive the light in the nebula.”

The observatory opens its doors to the public every third Friday of the month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring their own telescopes to Westmont for the public to gaze through. The Keck Telescope is housed in the observatory between Russell Carr Field and the track and field/soccer complex. Free parking is available near the baseball field.