Explore outer space from Greater L.A.

Exactly 84 years ago, on Dec. 30, 1924, astronomer Edwin Hubble helped us earthlings expand our world view when he revealed his finding that the Milky Way is not the sole galaxy in the universe; read Wired’s interesting blog post on the subject.

Though space tourism is no longer as improbable as it once was, most of us will have to settle for seeing outer space, not to mention outer galaxies, from our own planet in our lifetimes.

Thankfully, Greater Los Angeles offers a number of fun and interesting places from which to learn about the worlds beyond. Below are some good spacey spots to check out:

California Science Center: This exhibition center in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park is full of great hands-on displays. Its permanent collection includes space-related items of interest such as an Apollo-Soyuz Command Module; a full-scale model of the Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit Earth; and a spacesuit weighing 185 pounds.

Calif. Institute of Technology: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, at Caltech in Pasadena, is where America’s space program began. The lab offers two-hour tours of its facilities. Catch one of its Visitors Day tours, which run several times a month; call the Public Tours Office for coming dates and to make a reservation: (818) 354-9314.

Santa Monica College’s John Drescher Planetarium: This planetarium-theater runs galactic features open to the public every Friday at 8 p.m. But the evening begins with a “Night Sky Show,” an interactive update about the goings-on up above.

Griffith Observatory: This Griffith Park landmark, one of the world’s top observatories, offers exhibitions, planetarium shows and regular events such as free public star-watching parties and lectures. The observatory’s Zeiss and solar telescopes are available for free public use.

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Griffith Park Observatory. Credit: Richard Vogel / Associated Press]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 2:45 pm by Susan Derby and is filed under Family & Kids, Los Angeles, Space travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.