Viewing Features Jupiter, Mars, Moon

Jupiter, Mars and the moon will be on the celestial menu at the public viewing of the stars on Friday, May 20, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. 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.

There will be a near-full moon, so Thomas Whittemore, Westmont physics instructor, will bring a moon filter and hang it on Westmont’s 8-inch refractor telescope.

“We will be able to see many of the ray-like patterns on the moon without squinting,” he says. “These structures are impact ejecta and they often spread across the moon far from the impact sites.”

Whittemore says Mars will be in the night sky, but not high enough for Westmont’s telescopes to capture the richness of the beautiful planet. “Our club, however, will likely focus in on Mars as the night goes on,” he says. “Mars will be better for viewing as the summer goes on.”

Jupiter will be high in the sky and Whittemore says barring overcast skies, we should be able to discern considerable detail on this planet.

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.