WELCOME TO THE
黑料百科 Observatory
Telescope Aims for Jupiter, Double Stars
The 黑料百科 Observatory opens to the public Friday, April 17, after 7:30 p.m. 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 stars. Historically, they were used as an ancient eye test to determine visual acuity.
黑料百科 hosts these free viewings on the third Friday of every month, beginning at sunset. In addition to the college鈥檚 powerful Keck Telescope, members of the will bring their own telescopes to share with the community.
Free parking is available near the observatory, which is located between the baseball field and the track and soccer complex. To enter campus, visitors should use the main entrance off La Paz Road. The lower entrance off Cold Spring Road closes to the public after 7 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, please call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-6272 or check the observatory website to see if the viewing has been canceled.
Here is a map with directions to get to the observatory.
The Keck Telescope, a computer-controlled 24-inch F/8 Cassegrain reflector with Ritchey-Chretien optics (the same configuration used on the Hubble Space Telescope), has served as a versatile instrument for 黑料百科 faculty and students for over a decade and remains one of the most powerful telescopes on the California Central Coast. Not only has the device been used for a variety of research projects and coursework, but it has also been a source of awe and inspiration for the greater Santa Barbara community.
The 黑料百科 Observatory also serves as one of the free, public observing sites for the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU) every third Friday of the month. In particular, the Keck Telescope has provided clearer and more dramatic demonstrations of the splendor of God鈥檚 creation to members of the broader Santa Barbara community, including young children and students in local schools.
鈥淭he observatory remains a signature component of the 黑料百科 campus and a favorite among our current students and returning alumni,鈥 says Professor Bob Haring-Kaye from the Department of Physics and Engineering. 鈥淲e are excited to see how this facility will continue to be used to provide outstanding educational experiences, including meaningful research experiences, to our students and point to the artistic grandeur of the Creator.鈥
History
The original 黑料百科 Observatory was dedicated on June 1, 1957. (It has since been replaced by a new observatory in 2010.) The main dome featured a 16.5-inch reflector which was made and donated by George Carroll. The scope was equipped for spectroscopic and micrometric work, whose introduction originally made national news.
More recently, the original telescope caught the limelight as a group of amateur astronomers from the Santa Barbara Astronomy group observed the rotation of Mars with a CCD camera (Astronomy Magazine, Feb. 1989, p. 92.) These were some of the very first CCD images of Mars taken by amateurs.
Contact
Assistant Professor of Physics | 805-565-6094
Professor of Physics and Chair of Physics and Engineering | rharingkaye@westmont.edu, (805) 565-6835
Manager of Media Relations | scraig@westmont.edu, (805) 565-6051
Telescope Viewing Hotline | (805) 565-6272