An Exhibition in the 100-inch Telescope Dome
Exhibition Hours
Saturdays, 1–5 PM, July 4–October 17, 2026
Additional viewing times available by appointment – contact arts@mtwilson.edu
Exhibition Admission: $5 (children under 12 are free)
PLEASE NOTE: Access to the dome exhibition level is via a 53-step staircase. Mount Wilson Observatory is a mile high in elevation so the air is noticeably thinner. There is no ADA-compliant access.
California artist Russell Crotty (b. 1956) is celebrated for his meticulous ballpoint pen drawings that bridge the gap between scientific observation and fine art. He has spent decades as a serious amateur astronomer, contributing observational data to organizations like NASA and the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO). His work is held in permanent collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) . He has also exhibited at the Hammer Museum, SFMoMA, and during a notable residency at the Lick Observatory.
The exhibition in the dome of Mt. Wilson’s 100-inch telescope is organized by Observatory artist-in residence Stephen Nowlin, and will consist of several drawings from Crotty’s “Landscape Works,” a series of delicate renderings of land and sky punctuated with anecdotal text and reflections on both the infinite and the sublime of our planet and its deep sky.
Arts@theObservatory invites audiences to experience the universe through art—featuring exhibitions and immersive programs that connect creativity, science, and place at Mount Wilson Observatory, in the spirit of founder and polymath George Ellery Hale.
Mount Wilson Observatory is pleased to partner with Leonardo LASER Talks, a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public.
Image caption: Russell Crotty, Illuminations at Piedra Blanca, 2021 (detail). Ink, color pencil and gouache on museum board. 16 x 80 inches. Courtesy of Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco.