Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory crowns the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, at an elevation of 1,134 feet, and has served as the city's principal public astronomy venue since opening in 1935. The building's Art Deco copper domes, white concrete facade, and central plaza are among the most recognizable silhouettes in Los Angeles and have appeared in films including Rebel Without a Cause, Terminator, and La La Land. The observatory sits within Griffith Park, the largest urban park in the United States with undeveloped hillside terrain, and is accessible by car via Mt. Hollywood Drive or by a 1.5-mile hiking trail from the Los Feliz neighborhood. Admission to the building is free; the Samuel Oschin Planetarium inside charges for its dome shows. The main hall contains a Foucault Pendulum — a 240-pound suspended sphere demonstrating Earth's rotation over the course of the day — and a 12-inch solar telescope used for public viewings of the sun during daylight hours. The W.M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda houses a Tesla Coil that performs live electricity demonstrations at regular intervals throughout the day. On the roof terrace, Zeiss refracting and reflecting telescopes are available for free public viewing on clear nights — making it one of the few major-city observatories to offer this access routinely and without charge. The Samuel Oschin Planetarium presents two to five dome shows daily covering astronomical topics with a state-of-the-art full-dome projection system. The forecourt and south-facing exterior terrace provide the most famous panoramic view of the Los Angeles Basin, with sightlines from the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the southwest across downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, and into the San Fernando Valley. The Griffith Park Observatory Trail from the Greek Theatre parking area is a 3.5-mile round-trip hike gaining 600 feet that approaches the building from the east. The parking lot fills by midday on weekends and clear evenings; the DASH Observatory Bus connects from Vermont/Sunset Metro station to the building entrance.