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Griffith Observatory, September, 2006.
Griffith Observatory, September, 2006.

Griffith Observatory is located in Los Angeles, California, United States. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L. A. 's Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Griffith Park is a large public Park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal Sediment -filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in Downtown Los Angeles is the Central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The observatory is a popular tourist attraction that features an extensive array of space- and science-related displays. An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial and/or celestial events Space is the extent within which Matter is physically extended and objects and Events have positions relative to one another Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding

Contents

History

View from a trail in Griffith Park from the south, looking north.
View from a trail in Griffith Park from the south, looking north. Griffith Park is a large public Park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The land on which the observatory stands was donated to the City of Los Angeles by Col. Griffith J. Griffith in 1896. Griffith Jenkins Griffith ( January 4, 1850 – July 6, 1919) was a Welsh - American Industrialist and Philanthropist In his will, Griffith donated funds to build an observatory, exhibit hall, and planetarium on the donated land. A planetarium is a Theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about Astronomy and the night sky or for training in Celestial navigation Construction began on June 20, 1933 using a design developed by architect John C. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Austin based on preliminary sketches by Russell W. Porter. Russell Williams Porter ( December 13, 1871 &ndash February 22, 1949) was an American amateur Astronomer and Explorer The observatory and accompanying exhibits were opened to the public on May 14, 1935. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In its first five days of operation the observatory logged more than 13,000 visitors. Dinsmore Alter was the museum's director during its first years. Dinsmore Alter ( March 28, 1888 &ndash September 20, 1968) was an American Astronomer and Meteorologist.

Exhibits

The first exhibit visitors encountered in 1935 was the Foucault pendulum, which was designed to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. The Foucault pendulum (fuːˈkoʊ "foo-KOH" or Foucault's pendulum, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, was conceived as The exhibits also included a twelve-inch Zeiss telescope, a solar telescope, and a thirty-eight foot relief model of the moon's north polar region.

The Griffith Observatory after renovations, June 2007.
The Griffith Observatory after renovations, June 2007. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Col. Griffith requested that the observatory include a display on evolution which was accomplished with the Cosmochron exhibit which included a narration from Caltech Professor Chester Stock and an accompanying slide show. The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech) is a private, Coeducational research university located in Pasadena The evolution exhibit existed from 1937 to the mid 1960s.

Also included in the original design was a planetarium. The first shows covered topics including the Moon, worlds of the solar system, and eclipses. The Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by Gravity.

Mad Systems, the Orange, California based audio-visual consultancy and integration company, developed all the audio-visual equipment for the over 60 exhibits as well as the telluria and the magic boxes.

During World War II the planetarium was used to train pilots in celestial navigation. The planetarium was again used for this purpose in the 1960s to train Apollo program astronauts for the first lunar missions.

The planetarium theater was renovated in 1964 and a Mark IV Zeiss projector was installed.

Renovation and expansion

A model showing the new underground exhibits
A model showing the new underground exhibits

The observatory closed in 2002 for renovation and a major expansion of exhibit space. It reopened to the public on November 3, 2006, retaining its art deco exterior. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 affecting the decorative arts such as Architecture, Interior design, and Industrial The $93 million renovation, paid largely by a public bond issue, restored the building, as well as replaced the aging planetarium dome. The building was expanded underground, with completely new exhibits [1], a café, gift shop, and the new Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater[2]. Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an American Actor, Film director, Poet, Musician and The Café at the End of the Universe, an homage to Restaurant at the End of the Universe, is one of the many cafés run by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980 ISBN 0-345-39181-0 is the second book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Comedy In its strictest sense a celebrity chef is a someone who has become well-known for his/her cooking One wall inside the building is covered with the largest astronomically accurate image ever constructed (152 feet long by 20 feet high), called "The Big Picture", depicting the Virgo Cluster of galaxies; visitors can explore the highly detailed image from within arm's reach or through telescopes 60 feet away. The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies at a distance of approximately 59 ± 4 Mly (18 [3] The 1964-vintage Zeiss Mark IV star projector was replaced with a Zeiss Mark IX Universarium [4]. The former planetarium projector is part of the underground exhibit on ways in which humanity has visualized the skies.

Side view of the Observatory after renovations in 2007
Side view of the Observatory after renovations in 2007

Since the observatory opened in 1935, admission has been free, in accordance with Griffith's will. Admission to the museum continues to be free. Tickets for the show Centered in the Universe in the 290-seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium Theater are purchased separately at the box office within the observatory. Centered in the Universe is a Fulldome presentation that premiered the evening of October 29, 2006 at the "Galactic Gala" which marked Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Children under 5 are free, but are admitted to only the first planetarium show of the day. Only members of the observatory's support group, Friends Of The Observatory [5], may reserve tickets for the planetarium show.

Centered in the Universe features a high-resolution immersive video projected by an innovative laser system developed by Evans and Sutherland Corporation, along with a short night sky simulation projected by the Zeiss Universarium. Centered in the Universe is a Fulldome presentation that premiered the evening of October 29, 2006 at the "Galactic Gala" which marked Evans & Sutherland ( is a Computer firm involved in the Computer graphics field A team of animators worked more than two years to create the 30-minute program. Actors, holding a glowing orb, perform the presentation, under the direction of Chris Shelton.

A wildfire in the hills came dangerously close to the observatory on May 10, 2007. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [1]

On May 25, 2008, the Observatory offered visitors live coverage of the Phoenix landing on Mars. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common [6]

Filming location

Lego model of Griffith Observatory at Legoland California
Lego model of Griffith Observatory at Legoland California
Film

The observatory was featured in a number of scenes in the James Dean film Rebel Without a Cause; a bust of James Dean was subsequently placed at the west side of the grounds. Lego, officially trademarked LEGO, is a line of construction Toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately Legoland California is the third Legoland park to open and is the only one outside of Europe James Byron Dean ( February 8 1931 &ndash September 30 1955) was a two-time Oscar -nominated American Film Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 film directed by Nicholas Ray that tells the story of a rebellious teenager played by James Dean, A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure depicting a person's head and Neck, as well as a variable portion of It has appeared in several movies:

Television

The Observatory has appeared in episodes of the following TV shows:

Other Media

Popular culture references

Comics

The James Dean memorial at the Griffith Observatory is an important landmark for the teenage superheroes of the Marvel Comics series Runaways. James Byron Dean ( February 8 1931 &ndash September 30 1955) was a two-time Oscar -nominated American Film Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Runaways is a multiple award-winning series of comic books from Marvel Comics.

In Bill Griffith's comic strip Zippy the Pinhead, the cynical Griffy can occasionally be found in Griffith Observatory, aiming its telescope down into the valley to afford himself a view of the comings and goings in Hollywood. Zippy the Pinhead is the main character in the Comic strip of the same name created by Bill Griffith.

Video games

In the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game this landmark is featured and is very similar to the real life Griffith Observatory. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is a sandbox-style action-adventure computer and Video game developed by Rockstar North The observatory is a playable area in the Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines video game, unfortunately being ruined by a werewolf and destroyed by fire. Vampire The Masquerade – Bloodlines, abbreviated as Bloodlines or VTMB, is a Computer role-playing game for

Music

The song Observatory Crest by Captain Beefheart may refer to the location of the Griffith Observatory. Don Van Vliet (born Donald Glen Vliet on January 15 1941, in Glendale California, U The song includes the lyric ". . . drive up / and watch the city / from Observatory Crest. "

Other

A Lego model of this building is on permanent exhibit at Legoland California in the Southern California section of Miniland. Lego, officially trademarked LEGO, is a line of construction Toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately Legoland California is the third Legoland park to open and is the only one outside of Europe It has also been featured in the comic strip "Spiderman. " [7] In "Macross Frontier," Episode 03, two characters hold a conversation in a future replica of the Griffith Observatory.

Gallery

The Griffith Observatory, April 2007

Los Angeles at night, taken from the roof.

View of Downtown Los Angeles from the telescope.

Architecture closeup, taken after the renovation.

Panorama of Los Angeles and Griffith Observatory viewed from the Hollywood Hills.

View of the Hollywood Sign on a clear day. The Hollywood Sign is a famous Landmark in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles California, spelling out the name of the area in high white letters

Lawn at entrance and Griffith Park trails, looking north from atop the observatory. Griffith Park is a large public Park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains.

View looking eastward, with south Griffith Park and Eagle Rock

View of the Los Angeles Basin looking south, with Little Armenia in the center. Griffith Park is a large public Park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. Eagle Rock is an artistic neighborhood in northeastern Los Angeles California. Little Armenia is a community that is part of the Hollywood district of Los Angeles California.

Astronomers Monument in front of north door.

Foucault Pendulum in the center of W. The Foucault pendulum (fuːˈkoʊ "foo-KOH" or Foucault's pendulum, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, was conceived as M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda.

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Firefighters get L.A. blaze under control - CNN.com
  2. ^ TV Locations - part 7. Dinsmore Alter ( March 28, 1888 &ndash September 20, 1968) was an American Astronomer and Meteorologist. Edwin C Krupp is an American Astronomer and the director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles since 1974. Laura Danly PhD is an American Astronomer and Academic. Currently Danly serves as senior fellow honors program at the University of Denver Born in Easton Pennsylvania in 1951 Don Dixon is an astronomical artist practicing Space art in the tradition of Chesley Bonestell, who believed that The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed Bloomberg Television is a network that airs Business and Financial news 24 hours a day and is distributed globally on ten separate channels The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed Gary Wayne. Retrieved on 2007-08-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.

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