Mount Wilson Blog
Because this post is going up late, and we have by now all heard lots of the history of Mt Wilson Observatory, I am deciding to focus this post on the events that the observatory puts on now, and how it relates to the history and science of Mt. Wilson.
Mt. Wilson hosts monthly lectures by guests in the field of astronomy inside the dome which hosts the 100-inch telescope. The very first lecture hosted was in honor of the centennial of the 100-inch, the speaker being George Ellery Hale (founder of the observatory)'s grandson, Sam Hale, discussing the notion of the same "second Copernican revolution" mentioned by one of our guides at the observatory. Guest speakers now include NASA research scientists, observatory directors, CalTech professors and more, covering every astronomy and astrophysics topic imaginable. These talks are 90 minutes long and include a look through one of the two big telescopes. Entry to these lectures is $25, which goes towards Observatory maintenance!
For another $50, Sunday visitors can stay for afternoon concerts May-October. These concerts are all chamber and jazz music, highlighting not only compositions of Mozart and Schubert, but also pieces composed specifically for the Domed room. Like the guest talks, these concerts are hosted inside the 100-inch telescope's dome, the shape of which lends itself to next-level resonance of the sounds of oboes, cellos, and violins. Also similar to the lectures, the guests who come to perform are world-renowned and excel at their craft. The dome concerts were started three years ago, and only seem to be growing in popularity.
Of course, these are just a few of the events that are available for guests to pay for. Mt. Wilson also hosts a number of free events, including star gazing nights, cutely dubbed "Star Parties!" The observatory asks for a courtesy RSVP on Facebook; beyond that donations are accepted but not required. Star Parties do not include access to the big telescopes, and are held in the upper parking lot, open to the whole family! Mount Wilson has frequent tours and Engineering Tours, which include in-depth looks at the two big telescopes, and an occasional 5k run in the San Gabriel Mountains.
https://www.mtwilson.edu/concerts/
https://www.mtwilson.edu/lectures/
Mt. Wilson hosts monthly lectures by guests in the field of astronomy inside the dome which hosts the 100-inch telescope. The very first lecture hosted was in honor of the centennial of the 100-inch, the speaker being George Ellery Hale (founder of the observatory)'s grandson, Sam Hale, discussing the notion of the same "second Copernican revolution" mentioned by one of our guides at the observatory. Guest speakers now include NASA research scientists, observatory directors, CalTech professors and more, covering every astronomy and astrophysics topic imaginable. These talks are 90 minutes long and include a look through one of the two big telescopes. Entry to these lectures is $25, which goes towards Observatory maintenance!
For another $50, Sunday visitors can stay for afternoon concerts May-October. These concerts are all chamber and jazz music, highlighting not only compositions of Mozart and Schubert, but also pieces composed specifically for the Domed room. Like the guest talks, these concerts are hosted inside the 100-inch telescope's dome, the shape of which lends itself to next-level resonance of the sounds of oboes, cellos, and violins. Also similar to the lectures, the guests who come to perform are world-renowned and excel at their craft. The dome concerts were started three years ago, and only seem to be growing in popularity.
Of course, these are just a few of the events that are available for guests to pay for. Mt. Wilson also hosts a number of free events, including star gazing nights, cutely dubbed "Star Parties!" The observatory asks for a courtesy RSVP on Facebook; beyond that donations are accepted but not required. Star Parties do not include access to the big telescopes, and are held in the upper parking lot, open to the whole family! Mount Wilson has frequent tours and Engineering Tours, which include in-depth looks at the two big telescopes, and an occasional 5k run in the San Gabriel Mountains.
https://www.mtwilson.edu/concerts/
https://www.mtwilson.edu/lectures/
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