In search of stars.

The Griffith Observatory sits high atop Mount Hollywood, overlooking the greater Los Angeles basin. It has been newly renovated, and can only be visited by making a reservation. CT and I originally had reservations for May 9th. On May 8th there was a vicious wildfire among the hills around Griffith Park, and the Observatory was closed down for a short time. So, we had to reschedule--and today was the day!

(Double click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Downtown Los Angeles, viewed from the on ramp to I-5 north, on the way to Griffith Park.

Private cars are no longer allowed to drive up to the Observatory; instead, reservations are made for a ride from a satellite location on the shuttle. Parking for the shuttle is next door to the Los Angeles Zoo.

The shuttle took about 15 minutes, taking us through through Griffith Park and along Los Feliz Boulevard, then winding up the hill past some beautiful million dollar homes and the Greek Theatre, to the Observatory at the top.

We arrive a few minutes before it opens at noon, with plenty of time to walk around and enjoy the gorgeous views. It was nice not having crowds to deal with, nor school buses full of kids on a field day. It's a gorgeous day. The only drawback today is the haze/smog on the horizon that prevents a view of the Pacific Ocean.

My first order of business is to find the world-famous Hollywood sign.

Damage from the fire can be seen in the sere brown hills, viewed from the Observatory. That's how close the fire came. The firemen fought tirelessly to save it, and they succeeded.

Another view of the Hollywood sign, from the west side of the Observatory.

Looking south from the same location, over Los Angeles.

Looking West from the same location - the Pacific Ocean is, regrettably, hiding behind the haze. I'd love to come back here sometime for the sunsets.

Downtown Los Angeles, looking south from the Observatory.

I loved the shape of this tree, covered with dusky orange papery blossoms.

Finally, the doors are open and we can go inside. We enter on the east side - here's yet another view of downtown Los Angeles.

The frescoed ceiling and upper walls, around the Foucault Pendulum.

The pendulum, a large golden ball attached to a long cord, swings freely from the center of the ceiling, and as the earth rotates on its axis, the pendulum knocks down one marker
after another because the Observatory is, of course, rotating with the earth, but the pendulum is not. Fascinating!

The pendulum structure seen from a distance. Note the beautiful inlaid marble floors.

Have you ever wondered how eclipses happen? This display (sorry it's a bit fuzzy) helps in visualizing the arrangement of the sun, moon and earth for each type of eclipse.

Aren't these doors fascinating with all the symbols? They must be 20 feet tall; I only photographed the top half, above everyone's heads.

There are two floors of displays to view about the planets and stars and all things astronomical and/or cosmological, as well as a small gift shop and a cafeteria, operated by Wolfgang Puck. The most impressive thing, however, was the 35-minute presentation in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, about the history of astronomy and the discoveries and theories from the days of Ptolemy until today. A beautiful sky full of stars above us. Finally, I got to see the Milky Way again, even if only a simulation of the real thing!