April Stargazing Features Jupiter, Orion Nebula
The app Observatory opens to the public for a free stargazing event Friday, April 25, beginning about 8 p.m. and lasting several hours.
Jen Ito, app 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 it before it becomes a morning planet for the rest of the year,” she says. “We'll see it in the evenings again in December.”
The free stargazing event will also feature views of Mars and Orion Nebula, a diffuse nebula in the Milky Way and one of the most photographed objects in the night sky. “We’ll also look at Mizar and Alcor in Ursa Major,” Ito says. “Mizar and Alcor could be considered the first eye exam as those who could see the two stars were selected as Persian archers. In actuality, there are six stars here. Alcor is a binary pair, and Mizar are two binary star systems.”
The app Observatory is usually open to the public every third Friday of the month but was postponed a week due to Good Friday. The viewings are held in conjunction with the , whose members bring their own telescopes to share.
Free parking is available near the observatory, which is between the baseball field and the track and field/soccer complex. To enter app's campus, please use the Main Entrance off of La Paz Road. The lower entrance off of Cold Springs Road is closed to visitors after 7 p.m. In case of cloudy weather, please call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-6272 to see if the viewing has been canceled.