At Griffith Observatory, it's all about the view from up on Mt. Hollywood. You look down and see a glorious sweep of Los Angeles, from the southern slope of the famous landmark overlooking the city. As you stroll the walkway along the edge of the observatory you can see the ocean, the mountains, Long Beach, Santa Monica, and however much else your eyes can reach.
Then, when the darkness envelopes the sky and the stars start sparkling behind the observatory's golden dome, a whole new view is offered to visitors. Through the Zeiss Telescope, “we offer a view of the heavens,” said Astronomer David Reitzel. In fact, more people have looked through the Zeiss Telescope than any other telescope on earth, with over 8 million people having stared through its 12-inch refracting lens since the observatory opened in 1935.
So what are people looking at through such a powerful telescope?
Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons are some of the favorites, said Reitzel, but the moon is everyone's favorite.
“You can see the moon's craters and mountains... It makes the moon a real place when you see all these features through the telescope,” commented Reitzel.
A telescope that can see the moon's features so clearly is quite the powerful telescope. According to Reitzel, it can see halfway across the galaxy. On a good, clear, dark night (which LA doesn't have too often) viewers can also see external galaxies, including the Andromeda Galaxy, which is almost 3 million lightyears away, yet “much like our own galaxy.”
“To see the unknown, things we can't normally see, there's something fun about that,” said Reitzel in regards to the telescope's mass appeal. “We have this natural desire. This curiosity.”
Dr. David Reitzel, one of the staff Astronomers, inside the Griffith Observatory museum.
In fact, bringing this usually rare view to the public was the whole reason the observatory was created. According to Reitzel, founder Colonel Griffith J. Griffith created the public Griffith Observatory after he looked into a 60-inch telescope at the nearby Mt. Wilson.
“He felt,” described Reitzel, “that if he could bring that same view to everybody it would change the world.”
Reitzel himself first looked out of a telescope when he was nine years old. His family was often traveling by RV and used the telescope at various campsites. They'd often look at meteor showers and Saturn. It fascinated Reitzel, who then studied astronomy and physics at the University of Southern California. He then received his PhD from UCSC's Lick Observatory.
Space and its mysteries have been a huge part of Reitzel's life, and he is always in awe of the ever-changing discoveries.
“When I started my career,” he recalled, “we didn't know of any planets orbiting around other stars. Now, there's almost 4,000 of them – which is up from last week even. There's a new one discovered every day it seems.”
What fascinates Reitzel is the endless possibilities.
“Those are actual real worlds in our galaxy,” he noted. “We no longer have to wonder, 'Do other stars have planets?' Most do. Some of them are even in the right location to have liquid water.”
That brings up the big question: Is there other life in the Universe?
“There may even be life on Mars, underground, from what we've discovered with the Mars 2020 Rover,” Reitzel tells The Buzz. “But people want intelligent life. And we don't know yet. We are right at the cusp of discovering that. It's really exciting.”
The purpose of the observatory is to bring this knowledge to the public, not only through the telescope’s lens, but with programs, exhibits and seminars.
One Saturday every month, people are invited to the Griffith Observatory's public Star Party, a free event run by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers and other volunteers, who bring their own telescopes.
Sunset walks and educational exhibits are another draw of the Griffith Observatory. One exhibit stands out in particular: They are home to the original Tesla Coil.
Originally developed by Nikola Tesla to transmit energy through the atmosphere, it was soon made abundantly clear that the atmosphere wouldn't really allow this, and it was “cheaper to transmit through wires,” said Reitzel. “However, his invention went into radio for broadcasting. The Tesla Coil is a monument to a brilliant man. And it just screams science.”
And that's what the Griffith Observatory is all about. It's about astronomy, but also discovery. Curiosities. It's about understanding how the world works, and what's all around us in the atmosphere, space and beyond. The stunning architecture of the observatory has been featured in many Hollywood movies (including Charlie's Angels and Terminator), but it's what lies up above the signature dome that really takes people's breath away.
“You come here to think about the universe,” said Reitzel. “To be inspired by it. To think about deep thoughts. It takes you away from your life and gives you a new perspective by looking at the bigger picture.” Everyone's life is important, but as you look at the galaxies or, seldom, a supernova, it really gives you an alternate way to think about things.
California, Culture, Destinations, Entertainment, Open Road, Outdoors, Travel