Star Party – Santa Margarita Lake Park CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
2026-02-21 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Santa Margarita Lake Park, 4695 Santa Margarita Lake Road, Santa Margarita, CA, 93453
CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
Our stargazing site is located in the parking lot of the marina and boat launch at Santa Margarita Lake Park (SMLP). The park is approximately 8 miles south of the town of Santa Margarita, off of Pozo Road.
Address: 4695 Santa Margarita Lake Road, Santa Margarita, CA 93453.
Please see their website for more information on the park: slocountyparks.com/camp/santa-margarita-lake/
Arriving at the park:
We highly recommend that you arrive before dark!
Once you arrive at the park entrance kiosk, inform the Ranger that you are a CCAS member arriving for our ”Star Party”. You will be given access at no charge (providing your arrival time is reasonably close to sunset.) Ask for directions or simply proceed straight ahead and down the hill 1/4 mile to where the road flattens out at the very wide marina parking lot entrance. Our star party will be located at the parking lot of the marina and boat launch.
Telescope area:
The telescope area is at the south end of the parking lot beyond the San Luis Rowing Club building.
Telescope operators: Please park vehicles in two rows, ensuring that a clear lane remains open on either side of the equipment & vehicles.
Attendees not setting up telescopes: Please park in the northern half of the parking lot
with headlights facing towards the parking lot exit and away from the telescope zone.
Groups: If you have a group of eight or more people, instead of attending a star party, please consider Contacting Us to arrange a custom outreach event.
Star Party Etiquette and Guidelines:
We ask that everyone adhere to some basic CCAS and SLO County Parks Department guidelines:

Consumption of alcoholic beverages is not permitted at CCAS stargazing activities
No smoking or vaping in the vicinity of the telescopes. Park rules prohibit smoking within 30 feet of any structure, parked boat, trailer, or RV. Fire danger due to dry vegetation can be extreme. Smoking materials must be completely extinguished and safely disposed of in a proper receptacle.
It is imperative to avoid trip hazards around the telescopes and adjacent areas. Please stow loading ramps and equipment cases inside your vehicle or under tables and tripods. For the safety of your equipment and park visitors, we recommend marking tripod feet with glow sticks, glow-in-the-dark tape or subtle red illumination.
No white lights after dark. Please use only the minimum dim red light necessary for safety or equipment adjustment. Computer screens should be covered with a red filter or completely shielded on all sides within a box-like housing.
Please use laser pointers sparingly. Never point a laser at the ground, a person, or an aircraft. Prolonged use of lasers for pointing at objects in the sky or aiming optical equipment is bad star party etiquette and detracts from the enjoyment of the night sky by others.

Astronomy Night & Stargazing at the SLO Botanical Gardens on Feb 27th
2026-02-27 18:00 - 20:30 | SLO Botanical Gardens, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd, San Luis Obispo, United States
This event is designed for beginners and families — no prior astronomy experience required.
Join us for an evening of stargazing at the SLO Botanical Garden. Explore the night sky with telescopes and guided viewing hosted by the Central Coast Astronomy Society. We’ll take a close-up look at Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s cloud bands and moons, the Moon in brilliant detail, and deep-sky objects including Orion’s beautiful M42 Nebula. Whether you’re new to astronomy or a seasoned skywatcher, this is a fun and welcoming event for all ages Reservations Required – Click to reserve your spot!

Star Party – Santa Margarita Lake Park
2026-03-14 18:00, 2026-04-11 17:00, 2026-05-16 17:00, 2026-06-13 17:00, 2026-07-11 17:00, 2026-08-08 17:00, 2026-09-12 17:00, 2026-10-10 17:00 | Santa Margarita Lake Park, 4695 Santa Margarita Lake Road, Santa Margarita, CA, 93453
Our stargazing site is located in the parking lot of the marina and boat launch at Santa Margarita Lake Park (SMLP). The park is approximately 8 miles south of the town of Santa Margarita, off of Pozo Road.
Address: 4695 Santa Margarita Lake Road, Santa Margarita, CA 93453.
Please see their website for more information on the park: slocountyparks.com/camp/santa-margarita-lake/
Arriving at the park:
We highly recommend that you arrive before dark!
Once you arrive at the park entrance kiosk, inform the Ranger that you are a CCAS member arriving for our ”Star Party”. You will be given access at no charge (providing your arrival time is reasonably close to sunset.) Ask for directions or simply proceed straight ahead and down the hill 1/4 mile to where the road flattens out at the very wide marina parking lot entrance. Our star party will be located at the parking lot of the marina and boat launch.
Telescope area:
The telescope area is at the south end of the parking lot beyond the San Luis Rowing Club building.
Telescope operators: Please park vehicles in two rows, ensuring that a clear lane remains open on either side of the equipment & vehicles.
Attendees not setting up telescopes: Please park in the northern half of the parking lot
with headlights facing towards the parking lot exit and away from the telescope zone.
Groups: If you have a group of eight or more people, instead of attending a star party, please consider Contacting Us to arrange a custom outreach event.
Star Party Etiquette and Guidelines:
We ask that everyone adhere to some basic CCAS and SLO County Parks Department guidelines:

Consumption of alcoholic beverages is not permitted at CCAS stargazing activities
No smoking or vaping in the vicinity of the telescopes. Park rules prohibit smoking within 30 feet of any structure, parked boat, trailer, or RV. Fire danger due to dry vegetation can be extreme. Smoking materials must be completely extinguished and safely disposed of in a proper receptacle.
It is imperative to avoid trip hazards around the telescopes and adjacent areas. Please stow loading ramps and equipment cases inside your vehicle or under tables and tripods. For the safety of your equipment and park visitors, we recommend marking tripod feet with glow sticks, glow-in-the-dark tape or subtle red illumination.
No white lights after dark. Please use only the minimum dim red light necessary for safety or equipment adjustment. Computer screens should be covered with a red filter or completely shielded on all sides within a box-like housing.
Please use laser pointers sparingly. Never point a laser at the ground, a person, or an aircraft. Prolonged use of lasers for pointing at objects in the sky or aiming optical equipment is bad star party etiquette and detracts from the enjoyment of the night sky by others.

Astronomy Night & Stargazing at the SLO Botanical Gardens on Mar 21st - LAST ONE!
2026-03-21 19:00 - 21:00 | CA
This event includes a social hour (starting at 5:30 PM) for CCAS Members!
Explore the night sky with telescopes and guided viewing hosted by the Central Coast Astronomy Society. We’ll take a close-up look at open star clusters like the Pleiades and the Beehive, multiple star clusters in Gemini, galaxies in Leo and Ursa Major, Jupiter’s cloud bands and moons, and deep-sky objects including Orion’s beautiful M42 Nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy. Whether you’re new to astronomy or a seasoned skywatcher, this is a fun and welcoming event for all ages.
For the General Public: Reservations Required to Attend the Event – Click to reserve your spot with the Botanical Gardens!
For CCAS Members: You do NOT need a ticket to attend this event if you are volunteering to help. Also, please join us for the Social Hour for this event! Since our April club meeting is cancelled due to the overlapping NASA PUNCH Mission talk with Dr. Gibson at Cal Poly, we wanted to have an opportunity for our members to connect, so this is it! Please join us by signing up to volunteer for this event at the Botanical Gardens (your day-use parking permit fees will be waived). Sign up to volunteer.
March’s theme is Deep Space Objects!

Project Scientist on NASA PUNCH Mission Coming to Cal Poly on April 8th
2026-04-08 | CA
NASA’s newest solar mission, PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere), is transforming how we understand our home in space. Launched last March from Vandenberg Space Force Base, PUNCH is a constellation of four small satellites flying together in coordinated Earth orbit to make global, 3D observations of the Sun’s outer atmosphere as it transitions into the solar wind that fills the solar system. PUNCH’s mosaic view fills half the sky with effervescent flows and dynamic eruptions, connecting the Sun, the solar wind, and Earth as never before.
Wednesday, April 8th from 7-10pmat the Advanced Technologies Lab (Building 7), Cal Poly

This will be a fascinating evening for anyone curious about how the Sun drives space weather, how scientists study the solar wind, and how new missions like PUNCH are transforming our understanding of the Sun–Earth connection. All are welcome to attend. Parking ($3/hr) in H-2a (metered spots), H-12, H-16 lots (use the kiosk or ParkMobile App). Here is a parking map for quick reference. Click for more info on this event.
