Dave takes a virtual field trip to one of his childhood haunts -- the Griffith Observatory perched above the Los Angeles Basin in Griffith Park. Our tour guide is the longtime Director, Dr. Edwin C. Krupp.
Ed's passion for astronomy education and the venerable observatory, built in 1935 and extensively renovated in the early 2000s, comes through as he takes Dave on a trip through time and space at one of California's most iconic venues.
With it's perch atop Mt. Hollywood, it's no wonder the observatory has been the scene for many memorable films from 1955's Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean and Natalie Wood to 2016's La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. But as Ed likes to point out, "at Griffith Observatory, the stars are the stars!"
From the Zeiss refracting telescope that has had more human eyeballs peer through it than any other on Earth to the Foucault Pendulum with its magnificent painted ceiling and the incredible photo mural of a part of the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies (the largest astrophoto anywhere) and it's permanent guest Albert Einstein, the observatory has a multitude of exhibits that Dave and Ed describe as well as their context in history and culture. It's an audio tour you don't want to miss!
