East County News Service
May 17, 2026 (Mount Laguna) — Star parties are back at Mount Laguna with the return of the Summer Visitors Program at the Mount Laguna Observatory.
The public programs will be held on Saturday nights from May 23 through August 15, with a special bonus mid-week viewing scheduled for Wednesday, August 12.
Operated by the San Diego State University Department of Astronomy in partnership with the United States Forest Service, the outreach initiative has been connecting the public with the cosmos in various forms since the observatory’s dedication in 1968.
According to Dr. Robert Quimby, MLO Director and Professor in the SDSU Department of Astronomy, each event will feature a public lecture at the Harrington Visitors Center. If weather permits, the lecture will be followed by direct stargazing through the observatory’s 0.5-meter (21-inch) Reginald Buller telescope. While MLO boasts larger instruments for deep-space science, the Buller telescope is specifically dedicated to instructional use and public outreach.
Nestled in the Cleveland National Forest roughly 45 miles east of downtown San Diego, MLO sits at an elevation of 6,100 feet. The site is highly regarded by astronomers for its pristine dark skies, exceptional atmospheric conditions, and vital distance from city light pollution.
Beyond its public outreach, MLO is a premier research and training facility.
The mountain hosts an impressive array of cutting-edge technology, including the 1.25-meter Phillips Claud Telescope, which is used alongside the observatory’s 1.0-meter and 0.6-meter Clifford Smith telescopes to collect critical data on the age of and distance to star clusters.
MLO also houses one of only two EvryScopes in the world. This specialized multi-camera array monitors the entire accessible sky simultaneously, making it an exceptional tool for detecting stellar activity and eclipsing binaries (co-orbiting star systems).
Because the observatory is a functioning research station located in a rugged forest environment, organizers emphasize that safety and preparation are paramount for attendees.
Visitors are advised to bring a small flashlight and park at the lower visitors parking lot located on Morris Ranch Road, follow the short trail from the parking lot to Observatory Road, and from there, look for the white dashes painted on the ground and follow them for a quarter-mile uphill to the Harrington Visitors Center. Note that visitors must remain on the designated road at all times.
Morris Ranch Road is located off Sunrise Highway (S1) between mile markers 21.5 and 22, directly across from the Wooded Hill Campground sign.
All stargazing events are weather-permitting. For daily operational updates, weather delays, or cancellations, visitors should call the observatory hotline at (619) 594-1415 before making the drive up the mountain.