Here's a brief (?) listing of some of the astronomical goodies coming our way in 2008, as well as outreaches that are already scheduled.
Date Local Time (24hr) Event
Tuesday, Jan 01, 2008 0000 Comet 8P/Tuttle only 0.25 AU from Earth - take a peek to start the year
Wednesday, Jan 02, 2008 1600 Perihelion - Does the Sun look bigger?
Thursday, Jan 03, 2008 2300 A very good year for the Quadrantid meteor shower
Friday, Jan 04, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting, John Martinez of LCOGT
Saturday, Jan 12, 2008 1700 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Jan 12, 2008 1900 SBMNH Star Party, Vandenberg Amateur Astronomical Society folks visiting
Monday, Jan 14, 2008 0000 MESSENGER spacecraft encounters Mercury
Wednesday, Jan 16, 2008 1830 Telescopes for Franklin Elementary School
Friday, Jan 18, 2008 1900 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Thursday, Jan 24, 2008 1930 Telescopes for Goleta Valley Junior High School Slide show 1900
Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008 0300 Chance that Asteroid 2007 WD5 will impact Mars!
Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 1800 Telescopes for Foothill Elementary School
Science Night 1830-2100 Pat & Chuck may be absent ***
Friday, Feb 01, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting, Bob Piatek of Fishcamp Engineering
Saturday, Feb 02, 2008 0000 Groundhog Day - We're already half way through Winter
Wednesday, Feb 06, 2008 1830 Telescopes for St. Andrews Preschool
Saturday, Feb 09, 2008 1700 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Feb 09, 2008 1900 SBMNH Star Party
Friday, Feb 15, 2008 1900 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 1800 Total Lunar Eclipse, Shoreline Park - Rises partially eclipsed, totality from 1901 to 1951 PST
Thursday, Feb 21, 2008 1730 Telescopes for Ellwood Elementary School Science Night
Saturday, Feb 23, 2008 1800 Look for Zodiacal Light in West after sunset the next two weeks
Sunday, Feb 24, 2008 0200 Saturn at opposition
Friday, Mar 07, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting
Saturday, Mar 08, 2008 1700 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Mar 08, 2008 1900 SBMNH Star Party
Sunday, Mar 09, 2008 0200 Daylight Saving Time Starts - Spring ahead one hour
Thursday, Mar 13, 2008 1800 Telescopes for Hope Elementary School Science Night
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 2249 Vernal Equinox - It's Spring!
Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 1800 Telescopes for Monte Vista Elementary School Science Night
Friday, Mar 21, 2008 1930 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 1800 Look for Zodiacal Light in West after sunset the next two weeks
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 2100 Lights Out America - Turn out your lights tonight! Annual AU Messier Marathon at the Gun Club!
Friday, Apr 04, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting
Saturday, Apr 05, 2008 1900 Messier Marathon rain date
Sunday, Apr 06, 2008 0000 April 6 through April 13 is National Dark Sky Week
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2008 1930 Moon skirts the outer edge of the Pleiades between sunset at 1926 and about 2115 PDT
Saturday, Apr 12, 2008 1730 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Apr 12, 2008 1930 SBMNH Star Party
Friday, Apr 18, 2008 1930 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Monday, Apr 21, 2008 2100 Unfavorable Moon for the Lyrid meteor shower
Friday, May 02, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting
Saturday, May 03, 2008 0000 JPL Open House May 3 and 4
Monday, May 05, 2008 0200 Good year for the early morning Eta Aquarid meteor shower - debris from Comet Halley
Saturday, May 10, 2008 0900 Astronomy Day
Friday, May 16, 2008 2000 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1900 Telescopes for Dr. Andrea Ghez talk at SBMNH May 20 or May 21
Thursday, May 22, 2008 2100 Mars is amidst the stars of the Beehive Cluster low in the west at 2100 PDT
Friday, May 23, 2008 1900 RTMC Astronomy Expo in Big Bear, May 23 - 26
Monday, May 26, 2008 0000 Phoenix spacecraft lands on Mars
Friday, Jun 06, 2008 1800 AU Picnic at SBMNH
Wednesday, Jun 11, 2008 2000 Telescopes for Peabody Elementary School campout at El Capitan Canyon
Friday, Jun 20, 2008 0000 Dwarf Planet Pluto at opposition
Friday, Jun 20, 2008 1659 Summer Solstice
Friday, Jun 20, 2008 2000 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 2348 Low in the east, the Moon occults Neptune -
Moonrise is 2311, and Neptune is occulted from 2348 PDT until about 0057 PDT 06/23/2008
Monday, Jun 30, 2008 0000 100 year anniversary of the Tunguska Explosion
Friday, Jul 04, 2008 0000 Aphelion - Does the Sun look smaller?
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008 0100 Jupiter at opposition
Saturday, Jul 12, 2008 1900 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Jul 12, 2008 2000 SBMNH Star Party
Friday, Jul 18, 2008 2000 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Saturday, Jul 26, 2008 1800 Annual AU Starbecue at the Gun Club
Thursday, Jul 31, 2008 0000 Stellafane, July 31 - Aug 3
Saturday, Aug 09, 2008 1900 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Aug 09, 2008 2000 SBMNH Star Party
Sunday, Aug 10, 2008 1000 Telescopes for Hamfest in Goleta
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008 0830 Perseid meteor shower - the peak is in daytime for us :(
Friday, Aug 15, 2008 0100 Neptune at opposition
Friday, Aug 15, 2008 2000 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Sunday, Aug 24, 2008 0000 Be on the lookout for Comet 6P/d'Arrest
Friday, Sep 05, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting
Friday, Sep 12, 2008 0000 250th anniversary of the Messier Catalog
Friday, Sep 12, 2008 1700 The Moon rises at 1745 occulting Neptune, which emerges around 1753 PDT - This will be tough to see
Friday, Sep 12, 2008 1900 Uranus at opposition
Saturday, Sep 13, 2008 1800 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Sep 13, 2008 1900 SBMNH Star Party
Saturday, Sep 13, 2008 0000 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show in Pasadena, Sep 13-14
Friday, Sep 19, 2008 0000 AU Campout at Cachuma
Friday, Sep 19, 2008 1900 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Monday, Sep 22, 2008 0845 Autumnal Equinox
Thursday, Sep 25, 2008 0000 CalStar at Lake San Antonio - Sep 25 - 28
Saturday, Sep 27, 2008 0500 Look for Zodiacal Light in East before sunrise the next two weeks
Thursday, Oct 02, 2008 0000 400th anniversary of the patenting of the telescope by Hans Lippershey
Friday, Oct 03, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting
Monday, Oct 06, 2008 0000 MESSENGER spacecraft encounters Mercury again
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2008 2000 Draconid meteor shower with not-so-great Moon
Saturday, Oct 11, 2008 1700 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Oct 11, 2008 1900 SBMNH Star Party
Friday, Oct 17, 2008 1900 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2008 2300 Orionid meteor shower - more debris from Comet Halley - bad Moon
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 1900 Halloween telescopes
Sunday, Nov 02, 2008 0200 Daylight Saving Time Ends
Friday, Nov 07, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting
Saturday, Nov 08, 2008 1700 AU Planning Meeting
Saturday, Nov 08, 2008 1900 SBMNH Star Party
Saturday, Nov 15, 2008 0000 Be on the lookout for Comet C/2006 OF2 Broughton
Sunday, Nov 16, 2008 1832 Leonid meteor shower - bad time and Moon
Friday, Nov 21, 2008 1900 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Friday, Dec 05, 2008 1930 AU monthly meeting
Friday, Dec 05, 2008 0000 Deep Impact will encounter Comet 85P/Boethin
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008 2220 High in the sky, the Moon passes over the Pleiades from 2220 to 0155 PDT 12/11/2008. Maia is very close to the southern limb at 2345. Taygeta is occulted by the thin dark limb of the Moon around 2258, 18 Tauri around 2311, and Asterope around2319 PST.
Thursday, Dec 11, 2008 1800 AU Holiday Party
Friday, Dec 12, 2008 1650 Biggest and Closest Full Moon of the year
Saturday, Dec 13, 2008 1600 Geminid meteor shower - bad Moon and time, though
Saturday, Dec 13, 2008 1900 SBMNH Star Party
Friday, Dec 19, 2008 1900 Westmont Public Telescope Night
Sunday, Dec 21, 2008 0404 Winter Solstice
Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008 0000 Are you ready for 2009 - The International Year of Astronomy?
I didn't list them, but there are on the order of 15 occultations of stars by asteroids that may be visible from Santa Barbara, and the AU's new Mallincam should do well at capturing them. One of the best is on September 11, 2008.
Please let me know if you're interested in trying! There's tons of data available at www.asteroidoccultation.com