Learn about the Palomar Observatory and meteorites at the Temecula Valley Historical Society – Press Enterprise event

Dale Garcia will present “The Story of the Palomar Telescope and the Things That Fall From the Sky†at 7:00 PM Monday, August 23, on the stage at Vail’s HQ in Temecula.

The free program is sponsored by the Temecula Valley Historical Society.

Garcia, a resident of Temecula, has been involved in the local historic community for over 30 years. As the owner of Old Town Temecula Candlelight Walking Tours, he provides historical information on his tours of Old Town Temecula and the Siege of Vail, dating back to the days of pioneers and cowboys.

His tours have been featured in newspapers such as The Press-Enterprise and on A&E Biography’s “My Ghost Story: Caught on Cameraâ€, according to a press release.

Garcia has also had a lifelong interest in space and space exploration. Five years ago, he attended a meteorite hunting workshop given by Geoff Notkin, one of the stars of the “Meteorite Men” television show on Discovery Channel. He has since collected meteorites from all over the world.

During his presentation on August 23, Garcia will tell the story of the Palomar Observatory, on Palomar Mountain in northern San Diego County and visible from Temecula.

The observatory, an astronomical research center since 1948, is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology. It has three active research telescopes: the 200-inch Hale telescope, the 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope, and the 60-inch telescope.

Garcia will also talk about meteorites, which are pieces of stone or metal that have reached the Earth’s surface from outer space, most often from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

For more information on the Temecula Valley Historical Society, visit temeculahistoricalsociety.org.