JAUNTS : Mars Takes Prime-Time Role in Nightly Lineup : Astronomers will help us get to know the red planet somewhat better on its swing close by our neighborhood.

Who says there’s no night life in Ventura County? Just look up--there are celestial doings galore, especially this month.

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It’s prime-time viewing for Mars these next few weeks as Earth’s neighboring planet passes close by--in terms of millions of miles, that is.

Members of the Ventura County Astronomical Society will zero in on Mars when they meet Friday night at Moorpark College for their regular monthly get-together.

No doubt telescope sights will be set on the reddish-colored planet when the club treks to the campground at Pyramid Lake, northwest of Los Angeles, on Jan. 28, for one of its “star parties.”

Even without Mars in the picture, there is plenty to look at up there. But if it’s all a bewildering mass of lights to you, there are two other groups that will explain the stars at gazing sites closer to home.

At Thousand Oaks’ Wildwood Park, naturalist Lissa Marangola, with the Conejo Recreation and Park District, will take amateur astronomers into the park Jan. 28 for a tour of the heavens. The outing, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., is $5 per car. Participants should bring telescopes or binoculars. (For information, call 494-8301.)

At Rocky Oaks Park, near Agoura Hills in the Santa Monica Mountains, astronomer Daphne Elliott will do much the same from 8:30 to 10 p.m. on Jan. 28. For 12 years, Elliott has been doing these free outings for the Angeles chapter of the Sierra Club. She even brings along loaner telescopes from the Los Angeles Astronomical Society. (Call 818-707-8540.) For those who get hooked on the heavens, the Ventura County club is a hub of knowledge. Its 100 or so members include both amateur and advanced astronomers. They meet in a science building on the Moorpark College campus. A short walk away is the Charles Temple Observatory, which houses a 14-inch telescope. The observatory can hold only 10 people, so members also set up their telescopes on a pad adjacent to the building.

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What will they see as Mars orbits close by? Polar caps, dust storms, a huge volcano the size of New York state and the reddish tinge from the planet’s rusty soil, according to Hal Jandorf, an astronomy instructor at the college and vice president of the club.

But “you have to know what to look for,” he said. “It’s very disappointing to look at Mars as a beginner. It’s just a red disk.”

City lights are an astronomer’s worst enemy, so once a month club members go to some out-of-the-way place. In warmer months it’s Mt. Pinos, near Frazier Park. In total darkness, they set up telescopes, play soft music and share viewing discoveries.

“It’s not formal,” Jandorf said. “It’s beautiful in the dark sky.” Some members take photographs and have become specialists at this.

Few are as avid as Jandorf. He traveled to Brazil last November to see a total solar eclipse, his fifth.

But even a novice will find much to see in the night sky, he said. The craters of the moon are easy to spot, as are the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.

He has some advice for beginners: Don’t go out and buy a telescope before talking to experienced astronomers such as those in the club. Plan to spend at least $200 to $300.

“The best thing to do is start with binoculars,” he said. “There are a tremendous amount of things you can see” with those.

The very best day for viewing Mars is Feb. 12, when it is closest to Earth, although viewing is generally good through March. Then, on April 15, there will be a partial lunar eclipse early in the morning. In May, watch for a meteor shower.

During spring and summer, Jupiter will be observable, along with a possible glimpse of the impact sites from the planet’s spectacular collision with a comet last year.

DETAILS

* WHAT: Ventura County Astronomical Society meeting.

* WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

* WHERE: Science Building, Room S202, Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark.

* HOW MUCH: Meetings are free. Club membership at $30 a year includes bulletins, star maps and use of loaner telescopes.

* CALL: 529-7813.

* FYI: The club’s monthly star party is Jan. 28 at the campground at Pyramid Lake northwest of Los Angeles. Dress warmly.