Season One Research Files
Episode Sixteen
3:00pm-4:00pm
THE GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY
The Griffith Observatory has been a major Los Angeles landmark since it was founded in 1935. It is visited by nearly two million people each year, which is almost half the annual attendance of Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Parks. The Observatory ranks seventh on the list of major tourist attractions of Southern California. It sits on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood, where it commands a stunning view of both the famed Hollywood sign and the Los Angeles basin below. Thousands of people enjoy the view from its balconies, especially at night.
The observatory itself is divided into three main areas: the Hall of Science astronomy museum, the telescopes, and the planetarium theater. All are open to the public and, except planetarium shows, are free of charge. The rooftop telescopes operate only when the sky is clear. The Hall of Science features a pendulum that demonstrates the earth's rotation, scales that compare your weight on earth versus your weight on other planets and a replica of the Hubble Space Telescope. The Planetarium show takes place in the observatory's 75-foot wide, 50-foot tall dome-shaped auditorium. A live narrator from the lecture staff leads the audience through the cosmos during the hour-long show.
The Observatory is owned, operated, and financed by the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks. It was a gift to the city by Col. Griffith J. Griffith (1850-1919), who also donated Griffith Park and the Greek Theatre. The Observatory is a non-profit educational institution whose purpose is to provide information on astronomy and related sciences to the public. It is not a research institution, although from time to time it carries out modest research projects.
Although hundreds of films, television shows, and commercials have used the picturesque surroundings of Griffith Park and the Observatory, none have brought as much international attention as Rebel Without A Cause (1955). This landmark motion picture, which immortalized James Dean, captured both the interior and exterior of the observatory in several key scenes, one of which portrayed students at a typical planetarium show. Decades later, in commemoration of the much-celebrated actor and the use of the Observatory in the film, a bust of Dean was created and placed on the west end of the lawn.
The Griffith Observatory closed to the public in 2002 for a renovation that is scheduled to be completed in 2005.
< back