The Griffith Park Observatory is located in the midst of Los Angeles’ bright lights, which makes for a poor viewing of the stars above.

The Charles Temple Observatory, located at Moorpark College, offers breathtaking views into the night sky with less light pollution.

For astronomy student Amy Viser, 42, major undecided, the experience of seeing the jewels of the universe was fascinating.

“I was stunned by the nebulas, like the Orion nebulas, where the stars start to form,” she said. “That is the most incredible thing you’ve ever seen, because you can see the gases and the colors and it’s just…it’s spectacular.”

Having access to the observatory since its opening in 1987, has given Viser and many Moorpark College students numerous opportunities to see incredible sights in the night sky: such as the rings of Saturn or the moon’s giant craters.

Just ask Hal Jandorf, an astronomy professor at Moorpark College for the past 22 years.

“Well, it’s a [rarity] when you actually use telescopes in a pretty nice sky [to] see the planets, stars yourself, instead of just a book,” he said.

In the late 80’s, Charles Temple, a recently retired employee of IBM, decided to take an astronomy class as a hobby. He soon learned that Moorpark College had desires to build an observatory yet lacked the funds. With land donated by the Unocal Corp., and the financial backing of Temple, Carlsberg Construction Company, and IBM, the college’s dream came true.

“It seemed like a worthwhile fit and I supported it,” Temple said.

The Ventura County Astronomical Society also has scheduled events at the Charles Temple Observatory, known as “Star Parties,” where members get together to view the night sky.

For information on Moorpark College astronomy classes, please call 378-1400, ext. 1488 for Professor Clint Harper or ext. 1879 for Professor Ron Wallingford.