Observatory Opens for Partial Eclipse

The Westmont Observatory opens to the public for a near total lunar eclipse on Thursday, August 27, beginning at 8:30 pm with the max eclipse set to happen at 9:12 pm. Members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit will also attend with telescopes to share. 

Jennifer Gee, assistant professor of physics and director of the observatory, says the eclipse will already be underway when the moon rises.

“This almost total lunar eclipse scores a 96.2% coverage which is a solid A in my gradebook,” she says, “and it’s predicted to still turn the moon red.”

The last total lunar eclipse in the area was March 3, 2026.