Tag archives: Westmont Observatory

Westmont invites the community to explore the cosmos during a free public stargazing event Friday, Sept. 18, starting at 7 pm and lasting several hours. Held in conjunction with NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night, the evening unleashes the power of Westmont’s Keck Telescope alongside high-powered instruments from the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit to bring […]

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 […]

The Westmont Observatory opens to the public Friday, April 17, after 7:30 pm for a night of stargazing that will feature views of Jupiter and the star pair Mizar and Alcor. The event is expected to last several hours. Mizar and Alcor, located in the handle of the Big Dipper, are two pairs of double […]

Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope zooms in on the rings of Saturn on Friday, Oct. 17, beginning about 7 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Westmont hosts a stargazing event the third Friday of each month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring telescopes to share.  “Saturn will be […]

The ringed gas giant Saturn comes into focus at Westmont’s stargazing event on Friday, September 19, beginning at sunset and lasting several hours. The solar system’s Hula-Hoop champion will start low in the evening sky, but will be visible later in the evening after 8 pm. The Owl Cluster, Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, and […]

This month’s stargazing event will feature several star clusters, including M18, the Black Swan Cluster in Sagittarius, on Friday, August 15, beginning about 8:30 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory; home of the powerful Keck Telescope. The college hosts a free public viewing of the stars that lasts several hours, on the […]

The Westmont Observatory offers views of Mars, a comet, and the Whirlpool Galaxy on Friday, June 20, beginning at 8:30 pm and lasting several hours. Westmont hosts a free, public stargazing event on the third Friday of every month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Society, whose members bring their own telescopes to share.  […]

The Westmont Observatory hosts a summer star party that’s out of this world on Friday, May 16, beginning at 8:30 pm and lasting several hours. The observatory, home to Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope, opens every third Friday to the public in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring their own telescopes and […]

The Westmont Observatory opens to the public for a free stargazing event Friday, April 25, beginning about 8 pm and lasting several hours.  Jen Ito, Westmont assistant professor of physics, says the college’s powerful Keck Telescope will zoom in on the gas giant Jupiter. “This will probably be the last time we’ll get to see […]

Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope will zoom in on Jupiter and its Galilean moons on Friday, March 21, beginning at 7:30 pm and lasting several hours. The Westmont Observatory is open to the public every third Friday of the month and held in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring their own telescopes […]

If the weather cooperates, the Westmont Observatory will open for the viewing of a rare lunar event beginning Thursday, March 13, at 10 pm and lasting until Friday, March 14, at 1 am. The powerful Keck Telescope will zoom in on a total lunar eclipse, which will be visible throughout North American and in some […]

Westmont’s final monthly stargazing event of 2024 features our solar system’s two gas giants, as well as Orion, the Owl Cluster, and the Andromeda galaxy – on Friday, December 20, at 6:30 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Along with the college’s powerful Keck Telescope, members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit […]

The November public stargazing event will feature a Beaver Moon, Owl Cluster and two gas giants, Saturn and Jupiter, on Friday, Nov. 15 – beginning at 6 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. The college hosts a free public viewing on the third Friday of every month in conjunction with the Santa […]

Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope takes aim at Saturn and a supermoon at this month’s free public stargazing event on Friday, Oct. 18, beginning about 7 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. The college hosts a monthly star party on the third Friday of each month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical […]

The planet Saturn will be the star of the show on Friday, Sept. 20, from 7:30-10 pm at the Westmont Observatory. “If you haven’t seen this unique planet and its rings through a telescope before, I highly encourage you to come out and join us,” says Jen Ito, assistant professor of physics and director of […]

Westmont’s monthly stargazing event features a triangle asterism, a globular cluster and a waxing moon on Friday, August 16, beginning about 8 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Along with the college’s powerful Keck Telescope, members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit bring their telescopes to share with the public. The 12-day […]

Less than two weeks after everyone’s attention was focused on the solar eclipse, the Westmont Observatory focuses on lunar craters and a red giant Friday, April 19, beginning after sunset at 7:30 pm and lasting several hours. The observatory, home to the powerful Keck Telescope, opens to the public every third Friday of the month […]

Jupiter and the Great Orion Nebula, M42, will be part of this month’s free stargazing event Friday, March 15, beginning about 6 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Along with Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope, members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Society bring their own telescopes to share with the public. Views of […]

If the weather cooperates, and that has been a big if this winter, the Milky Way’s open clusters will be the focus of the monthly stargazing event on Friday, Feb. 16, beginning after 6 pm and lasting for several hours. The observatory, home of the powerful Keck Telescope, is open to the public every third […]

Bundle up and head to the Westmont Observatory, which opens to the public for its free, monthly Stargazing event Friday, December 15, beginning at sunset and lasting several hours. Saturn and many other celestial delights will be targeted by Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope and the other scopes owned by members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical […]