ESCONDIDO – Thor Biberman has seen craters on the moon, the bands of Jupiter, the constellation Pegasus and the Andromeda galaxy.

But Biberman says the most spectacular sight he has viewed through the eyepiece of one of his telescopes is Saturn, a bright yellow sphere with white-yellow rings slicing through its center.

At a recent Star Party held at San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park, Biberman said Saturn is not visible this time of the year, but he was looking forward to seeing Jupiter and its four moons.

The stargazing parties, held once a month on a weekend following a full moon, give amateur astronomers the chance to share their knowledge and telescopes with the public.

DETAILS Star Party When: 5:30 p.m. Oct. 6 Where: San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park, 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido Cost: Free Information: The monthly star parties begin with a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Stargazing begins at sunset. For the October lecture, Jay Levine of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena will discuss robotic exploration of the solar system. A variety of telescopes will be available for viewing stars, planets and galaxies. Refreshments provided. Contact: Curt Lawrence, program coordinator, (619) 884-5527 or www.aquatest.org

Curt Lawrence, coordinator of the star parties, which are part of the North San Diego County Astronomy Outreach Program, said the monthly events attract many first-time astronomers and families who want to introduce children to astronomy. The events are a collaboration of the San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park, the San Dieguito River Park and Oceanside Photo and Telescope.

“We have dark enough skies out here that we can see a lot in the night sky,” Lawrence said. “People living in the cities and the coastal communities can't do astronomy very well in their back yards because of all the light interfering with the telescopes. It's either come to the park here, or drive a hundred miles to go out to the desert.”

Following a lecture given by guest speaker Scott Kardel of the Palomar Observatory, Stewart Hall, the program's resident astronomer and an employee of Oceanside Photo and Telescope, gave first-timers a crash course in how to use a telescope. Many of the regulars at the star parties pointed their telescopes south to face Jupiter, which was the brightest celestial body in the sky Saturday night.

“Be patient,” Hall told the group as the sun set behind the mountains surrounding the San Pasqual Valley. “Our eyes aren't accustomed to looking at objects in the dim light so you've got to use a special technique called 'inverted vision.' Your eye is not very sensitive to light in the middle of where you are looking, so let your eyes adjust to the dark and look to the side of the object.”

Julie Purdy, a Girl Scout troop leader, said some of the Scouts in her troop came to the star party to work toward earning their Sky Search badges. Some of the activities the girls must complete include identifying the planets, looking through a telescope at stars and reading a star map.

Girl Scouts asked questions about black holes, asteroids and Pluto's status as a “dwarf planet” during Kardel's lecture.

Kardel also spoke about the telescopes used at Palomar Observatory, how city lights and development around the observatory are contributing to “light pollution,” and new discoveries in space.

“I learned that a super small telescope with a 4-inch lens could help you see planets and stars,” said Girl Scout Elena Crespo, 9. “I'm hoping to see Jupiter tonight. I'm really interested in astronomy, and I want to study it more in school.”

Many of the amateur astronomers' curiosity about the night sky was piqued at a young age. Hall said he became involved in astronomy because he read a book about the universe when he was in middle school.

“I used to leaf through the universe book every single day,” Hall said. “I always wanted to see for myself the kind of things I saw in the book. By doing the star parties, we want to get the public excited about astronomy. When kids see Saturn for the first time and they say, 'Wow! Is that real?' You know the world just became a little bigger than it used to be.”

Biberman, who said he attends the star parties every month, usually brings his son and at least one telescope. Biberman's brother bought Biberman a simple telescope when he was 10 years old, and his fascination with galaxies and nebulae keeps on growing.

“My 16-year-old son is so interested in the night sky that he knows the stars and the constellations better than I do now,” Biberman said. “It's an adventure every time we go out. Each time we try to see something we haven't seen before, whether it's a new (star) cluster or galaxy.”

Lawrence said the sky is in a transition to the pattern of constellations, planets and stars that are seen during the fall. For example, the constellation of Orion and the Horsehead Nebula, a cloud of gas with a formation shaped like a horse's head, can be seen in the fall.

“I have yet to meet anybody who has said, 'I don't care what's out there,' ” Hall said. “To some degree, we are all curious. These events help to connect people with what's out there because the telescopes are provided so they can see for themselves what used to be the unknown.”

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