Observatories in Los Angeles and Southern California

See Attractions for more fun things to see and do.

Hollywood (Many more Hollywood attractions are listed on the Hollywood Attractions page.)

Griffith Observatory. "The Griffith Observatory has been a major Los Angeles landmark since 1935. It was visited by nearly two million people each year and ranked as one of the top tourist attractions of Southern California. It sits on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood where it commands a stunning view of the Los Angeles basin below. Tens of millions of people enjoyed the view from its balconies and terraces, especially at night. For safety reasons, the grounds (and some nearby hiking trails) are closed to the public and the Observatory site is a fenced-off hard-hat construction area. There is no public access to the Observatory or its lawn. The trail from the Observatory parking lot up to Mt. Hollywood remains open during construction.

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."

Mount Wilson Observatory. "Founded in December 1904 by George Ellery Hale as one of the original scientific enterprises of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Mt. Wilson Observatory is completing its first century as one of the world's premier astronomical observatories. During the first half of the twentieth century Mt. Wilson was successively home to the world's two largest telescopes as well as the most powerful facilities in existence for studying the sun. The 60-inch and 100-inch night-time telescopes and the 60-ft and 150-ft solar tower telescopes in the hands of the brilliant scientists who used them revolutionized astronomy..." Web Cam images of the observatory.