Viewing Turns Toward the Crescent Moon

The Westmont Observatory, which opens its doors to the public every third Friday of the month, will zoom in on the crescent moon Friday, Jan. 15, beginning at 6:30 p.m. and lasting several hours. The free viewing occurs in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit whose members bring their own telescopes to Westmont for public use. In case of inclement weather, please call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-6272 and check the Westmont website at www.westmont.edu to see if the viewing has been cancelled.

“The six-and-a-half-day-old moon will be nicely positioned high in the sky after sunset,” says Thomas Whittemore, Westmont physics instructor. “If the viewing is steady, I plan to push Westmont’s 8-inch refractor telescope to high power so the public will be able to see the wonderful details in the cratered boundary of light and dark.”

Later in the evening, the viewing will focus on Auriga and Gemini. “Some of my favorite open clusters are in this region of the sky,” he says. “These include the Messier objects M35, M36, M37 and M38.  Not far away is the Orion Nebula, M42.  This is often one of the public’s favorites of the winter sky.  We may be able to make out six of the young, white stars which set this nebula aglow.  I would use the Keck Telescope, Westmont’s 24-inch reflector, to pull out the details in M42.”

If you’re still in the holiday mood, the Christmas Tree Cluster, M103, will be well-positioned in the northern sky. The viewing may include other favorites in the region, such as the Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC 869) or the Owl Cluster (NGC 457). “As the evening progresses it’s fun to see the changing orientation of the stars that make up the owl,” Whittemore says. “Last month the owl lay on its side during the viewing.”

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.