Going North

* Stars--The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s astronomy club will host a solar eclipse program Friday at 7:30 p.m. Veteran eclipse-chaser Dave Balch will present “Wow! The Most Incredible Thing You’ll Ever See” at the museum’s Farrand Hall. The program will include video presentations of the 1980 eclipse in Kenya and the 1999 eclipse in Romania. Free. The museum is at 2559 Puesta del Sol Road. 682-4711, Ext. 405.

* Strings--The New Hollywood String Quartet will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Music Academy of the West’s Lehmann Hall, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara. The program will include works by Haydn and Schubert. The concert is presented by Camerata Pacifica. $25. 961-0570.

* Yuks--UC Santa Barbara’s Arts & Lectures series will present two screenings of Margaret Cho’s critically acclaimed film of her solo stage show, “I’m the One That I Want,” at the campus’ Campbell Hall. Cho, who has been described as “engagingly raunchy,” touches on everything from her promiscuity to her affection for gay men (“Some people are raised by wolves; I was raised by drag queens.”) Show times: Jan. 11, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $5-$6. 893-3535.

* Orchestra--Community Arts Music Assn. of Santa Barbara will present the Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen in concert Jan. 13 at the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St., Santa Barbara. Show time: 8 p.m. The program will include works by Sibelius and Bruckner. $30-$75. 963-4408.