Griffith Observatory is a must see when in Los Angeles!Some photo ops outside the observatory.Hollywood sign in the background.James Dean starred in the 1955 movie “Rebel Without a Cause”. Several significant scenes from that movie were filmed here at Griffith Observatory. These scenes reflected positively on the site, and contributed to Griffith’s international reputation. Dean was killed in a car accident in 1955 at the height of his popularity.Inside the entrance foyer rotunda.Foucault Pendulum. This is a recreation of the 1851 demonstration by French physicist Jean Bernard Leon Foucault that gave the first direct proof that Earth rotates on its axis.
This pendulum is a 240 pound partially hollow gun-metal sphere suspended from a 40 foot steel wire that is attached to the rotunda ceiling in a way that allows it to swing freely. A ring magnet above the ceiling keeps the pendulum in motion without influencing the direction of its swing.
The pendulum knocks over one peg every seven minutes. From our perspective the direction of the pendulum’s swing appears to change, but in reality we are seeing the motion of the earth rotating the peg into the path of the swinging pendulum.
At the north and south poles it takes one day for the direction of the swing to rotate 360 degrees As you move from the poles to the equator this apparent rotation takes longer because of the change in latitude. Here in Los Angeles, this full rotation takes just over 42 hours. At the equator there is no apparent shift and no pegs would ever be knocked down.An example of Galileo’s telescope.The first astronomical telescope in Los Angeles.Tesla Coil demonstration – this sign is powered by electricity without wires. You can hear the electricity sizzle!Telescope Dome.Zeiss 12 inch Refracting Telescope. This telescope is available for the public to view through, but not at the time we were there.Inside the planetarium before the show.GalileoDisplay of all the elements from the periodic table.Views of the sun using different filters.A coelostat tracks the Sun throughout the day. It brings sunlight directly in so we can observe it.Downtown LA from Griffith Observatory.San Gabriel Mountains. The top peak is Mt. San Antonio, at 10,064 feet.Astronomers MonumentSundialInteresting tree. On our way up to Griffith Observatory we ran into heavy traffic due to a memorial service for P-22, a mountain lion that had died recently. P-22 had lived in Griffith Park for at least 10 years. It had been “captured” on numerous video cameras and had developed quite a following, so when he died back in December, a memorial service was planned, which happened to be on the morning we passed by!After leaving Griffith Observatory, just a short drive to this house that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This is the Ennis House. It is private, not open for tours.
