Public Events at Mount Wilson Observatory

Join us on the Mountain! There are a wide range of activities and events, including telescope viewings, engineering tours, concerts, astronomy lectures, film screenings, and art events! Check them out below, sign up for a few, and come explore our beautiful Observatory campus.

Nighttime view of an illuminated observatory dome with red lighting, preserving night vision. Visitors gather near the entrance, some blurred in motion, beneath a clear starry sky. The dome’s segmented panels and slit opening suggest active telescope use during a public event.

Every ticket purchase helps to support and preserve this historic observatory for generations to come. Thank you!

Concerts

Artistic Director Cécilia Tsan curates thoughtful musical adventures
under the magnificent vaulted dome of the 100-inch telescope.

Lectures

Featuring speakers from all corners of the world of Astronomy.

Movies

Classic sci-fi, vintage silent films, and even a few family-friendly surprises. A unique cinematic experience above the city!

Telescope nights

Experience the thrill of viewing celestial objects through our large, historic telescopes.

Arts @ the Observatory

Exhibitions and art events in the spirit of founder and polymath George Ellery Hale.

2026 Events

We have an exciting schedule of events planned for the mountain in 2026!
Concerts, lectures, public telescope nights, & more…

Arts@theObservatory: Russell Crotty – Nocturnal Landscapes From The Arid West

Arts@theObservatory: Russell Crotty – Nocturnal Landscapes From The Arid West

June 27, 2026 – October 17, 2026

An exhibition of drawings by California artist Russell Crotty, whose intricate works explore the relationship between scientific observation, landscape, and the night sky, presented in the historic 100-inch telescope dome at Mount Wilson Observatory.

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LAAS Star Party - September 4

LAAS Star Party – September 4

September 4, 2026 – September 5, 2026

Come join us for a public star party and spend a relaxing evening in the San Gabriel Mountains under the stars looking through telescopes provided by the members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society!

More Info & Tickets

Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome - September 6: Webern String Quartet

Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome – September 6: Webern String Quartet

September 6, 2026

Webern String Quartet
Todd Mason String Quartet No.5 “The Phoenix” (2025), Beethoven String Quartet No.15, Op.132

Benjamin Hoffman & Chiai Tajima, violins, Alex Granger, viola, Stella Cho, cello

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Matinees on the Mountain - September 12: Solaris (1972)

Matinees on the Mountain – September 12: Solaris (1972)

September 12, 2026

Solaris (1972)
A psychologist travels to a troubled space station orbiting the planet Solaris, where a mysterious alien intelligence manifests human memories and forces the crew to confront their past.

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Special Behind the Scenes Engineering Tour: September 13

Special Behind the Scenes Engineering Tour: September 13

September 13, 2026

This special, behind-the-scenes tour concentrates on the mechanical, optical, and electrical details of our 60- & 100-inch reflector telescopes with demonstrations of their motion controls.

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Talks & Telescopes - September 19: Anna Von Mertens

Talks & Telescopes – September 19: Anna Von Mertens

September 19, 2026

The Brightness of Stars: Henrietta Leavitt and the Transformative Nature of Attention in Art and Science
Anna Von Mertens, Visual Artist and Author
Visual artist and author Anna Von Mertens explores the life and legacy of Henrietta Leavitt, the pioneering astronomer whose study of variable stars provided the first reliable way to measure vast cosmic distances. Working among the women now known as the Harvard Computers at the Harvard College Observatory, Leavitt laid the foundation for major breakthroughs at Mount Wilson, including Harlow Shapley’s mapping of the Milky Way and Edwin Hubble’s discovery of an expanding universe. Drawing from her book Attention Is Discovery: The Life and Legacy of Astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, von Mertens shares archival materials alongside her own artwork inspired by Leavitt’s life, using art to celebrate not only how careful, trained attention leads to scientific discovery, but also how that applied attention creates a meaningful life.

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Special Behind the Scenes Engineering Tour: September 26

Special Behind the Scenes Engineering Tour: September 26

September 26, 2026

This special, behind-the-scenes tour concentrates on the mechanical, optical, and electrical details of our 60- & 100-inch reflector telescopes with demonstrations of their motion controls.

More Info & Tickets

LAAS Star Party - October 3

LAAS Star Party – October 3

October 3, 2026 – October 4, 2026

Come join us for a public star party and spend a relaxing evening in the San Gabriel Mountains under the stars looking through telescopes provided by the members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society!

More Info & Tickets

Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome - October 4: Piano Quartets

Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome – October 4: Piano Quartets

October 4, 2026

Piano Quartets
Mahler, Brahms Op.60 in C minor

David Kaplan, piano, Ambroise Aubrun, violin, Ariana Solotoff, viola, Cécilia Tsan, cello

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BONUS NIGHT: Public Ticket Night: 100-inch Telescope (October 8)

BONUS NIGHT: Public Ticket Night: 100-inch Telescope (October 8)

October 8, 2026 – October 9, 2026

Our popular Public Ticket Nights allow individuals, rather than just groups, to experience the thrill of viewing celestial objects through our large, historic telescopes, the […]

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Matinees on the Mountain - October 10: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Matinees on the Mountain – October 10: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

October 10, 2026

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
A small-town doctor discovers that people in his community are being secretly replaced by emotionless alien duplicates grown from mysterious pods.

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Special Behind the Scenes Engineering Tour: October 11

Special Behind the Scenes Engineering Tour: October 11

October 11, 2026

This special, behind-the-scenes tour concentrates on the mechanical, optical, and electrical details of our 60- & 100-inch reflector telescopes with demonstrations of their motion controls.

More Info & Tickets

Talks & Telescopes - October 17: Sam Hale

Talks & Telescopes – October 17: Sam Hale

October 17, 2026

The Duality of Genius and Struggle: G. E. Hale
Sam Hale, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Mount Wilson Institute
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood.” This quote is an encapsulation of George Ellery Hale’s incredible life and monumental achievements. The five astronomical telescopes he built beginning in 1897 were the largest in the world for almost one hundred years. While living in Pasadena just after the turn of the 20th century, he turned what was a community school into what became the California Institute of Technology. At the same time, he was the driving inspiration for the creation of the Huntington Library. While serving on the Planning Commission, he was a major force for the creation of the city’s elegant civic center. As we’ll learn in this talk, Hale accomplished all this and more while suffering from debilitating emotional issues.

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Special Behind the Scenes Engineering Tour: October 24

Special Behind the Scenes Engineering Tour: October 24

October 24, 2026

This special, behind-the-scenes tour concentrates on the mechanical, optical, and electrical details of our 60- & 100-inch reflector telescopes with demonstrations of their motion controls.

More Info & Tickets

LAAS Star Party - November 7

LAAS Star Party – November 7

November 7, 2026 – November 8, 2026

Come join us for a public star party and spend a relaxing evening in the San Gabriel Mountains under the stars looking through telescopes provided by the members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society!

More Info & Tickets