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Last Thursday night Griffith Observatory played host to over a hundred Celestron employees and their families. Even though observing conditions weren’t the greatest, everyone had a good time. There is plenty to see and do while visiting the observatory. On the top of the list has to be the live presentation of the “Centered in the Universe” show in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. It’s a great overview of the history and future of astronomy presented in a very entertaining fashion. Just an FYI, the visuals can be a bit disorienting and may cause mild motion sickness. Closing your eyes for a few seconds will get rid of that queasy feeling.

The observatory also has many other exhibits where each room has a theme. The primary goal is to get you to ponder your role in the universe. What I really like about the exhibits is that many of them were interactive. My favorite exhibit has to be the Tesla Coil. There is just something about witnessing arching electricity and the noise it makes.

Another big attraction at the observatory is the 12-inch refracting telescope which had a steady flow of visitors waiting for their turn to have a look through the scope. If you don’t feel like waiting in line you can tune into the live video feed provided by the Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube that is mounted to the 12-inch telescope.

I would highly recommend a trip to the observatory. It’s a great place to take visitors from out of town or to just get away from the hectic pace of Los Angeles and let your mind go somewhere else.

For more information on Griffith Obseratory visit: http://www.griffithobservatory.org/