Wet Weather Forces Cancellation of Public Viewing

(Westmont has been forced to cancel this month’s viewing of the stars due to inclement weather. The next scheduled public viewing is Friday, Jan. 21.)

Jupiter and the moon will dominate the sky at a public viewing at Westmont’s observatory, which houses the powerful Keck Telescope, Friday, Dec. 17, beginning at 7 p.m. Members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU) also bring their telescopes to the event for the public to look through. Westmont and the SBAU hold the free viewings every third Friday of the month. However, inclement weather has forced the cancellation of the last two events.

The moon, which will be a large, waxing ball of light, will show off two prominent craters, Copernicus and Tycho.  “These craters will be in the full light of the sun, showing some of the intricate ray-like ejecta from the impacts that created them,” says Tom Whittemore, Westmont physics instructor.

Jupiter will shine brightly, dominating the sky to the southwest this evening. “Although there will be no shadows created by her moons, we may get to see some of the detailed structure in Jupiter's cloud bands,” Whittemore says.

Another wintertime treat is the Great Orion Nebula, M42, which is in the eastern sky. This star-forming region is about 1,500 light years away. Coming up in the northeast is Gemini, carrying a number of dazzling open clusters, some more than 4,000 light years away.