Summertime Stargazing at the 'Mont

Mars and Saturn will be the star attractions at a free, public viewing of the stars on Friday, Aug. 19, beginning at 8 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Despite a near-full moon, Westmont’s Keck Telescope, one of the most powerful on California’s Central Coast, will zoom in on the planets, which will appear close together low in the southwest sky.

Westmont’s 8-inch refractor telescope will be equipped with a special filter to view craters and impact sites across the near-full moon.

Westmont opens its observatory to the public every third Friday of the month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring their own telescopes to the college for the public to gaze through.

The observatory is located between Carr Field (baseball) and Thorrington Field (track and field/soccer complex.) Free parking is available in lots near the track and baseball field.