The new Ryan Gosling film Project Hail Mary is leading the box office, and if it has you thinking about the outer galaxies, L.A. has a number of places you can explore to learn more.
“There’s no gatekeeping in astronomy,” said Keith Armstrong, president of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The amateur group of astronomers welcomes everybody, he said.
The society hosts public star parties in various places, including at Griffith Observatory every month and in Silver Lake.
“We have Jupiter that is really popular right now and its four Galilean moons, we’re starting to be able to see Venus. But the big showstopper this time of year is probably still Orion’s Nebula,” Armstrong said.
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Here are some places in L.A. that get out of this world.
Garvey Ranch Park Observatory (Monterey Park)
The observatory, where the Los Angeles Astronomical Society is based, is open to the public every Wednesday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. It has an 8-inch refractor telescope, but Armstrong says folks are welcome to bring their own devices and get help on viewing from a society member.
Mount Wilson Observatory (Pasadena)
The observatory, founded in 1904, is housed in the San Gabriel Mountains and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ticketed tours are also available on the weekends and at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. during the spring and summer months.
Columbia Memorial Space Center (Downey)
The center is a space museum owned by the city of Downey with interactive exhibits for people to learn about space shuttle operations. Admission is $5 a person (kids 3 and younger are free).
California Science Center (Los Angeles)
Home to the space shuttle Endeavor, the science center is free to the public and houses a number of hands-on exhibits, plus IMAX movies.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (La Cañada Flintridge)
The lab hosts a limited number of free in-person tours with advanced reservation. The next tour dates for June will be released on Monday, April 6, at 9 a.m..