Simply Heavenly

To the dull mind all of nature is leaden. To the illuminated mind the whole world sparkles with light.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

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The planet Venus, so vivid in recent nights to those who knew where to look, throws off the sparkle that Emerson celebrated. So does the astronomic extravaganza underway in Pasadena now through May, demurely entitled “The Universe, a Convergence of Art, Music and Science.”

Eight local cultural institutions have gathered around the age-old question of where we earthlings fit in the universe. Perhaps nowhere else but Pasadena is such artistic and scientific convergence possible on the theme of astronomy. The result is an imaginative and provocative mix of art and technical exhibits, concerts, lectures and other activities.

Chronologically, “The Universe” begins at the Huntington Library’s “Star Struck,” an exhibit presenting the evolution and history of astronomy from the Ptolemaic era, when astronomers insisted the heavens revolved around the Earth, to the present. The collection draws together rare astronomic manuscripts and photographic images of space that explore how we have imagined ourselves and the universe over the past 1,000 years, what we’ve seen in space and the technologies of observing.

As in past Huntington exhibits, the annotated display of rare manuscripts--Galileo’s 17th century drawings of the moon, for example--is as compelling as the chunk of moon rock in the same room. A small 1923 photograph of the Andromeda galaxy taken by Edwin Hubble, never before exhibited, or the 16th century Astronomicum Caesareum, whose rotating paper circles were used to predict the movement of the planets, beckon as much as a snappy interactive display on Mars.

“Star Struck” is just one of eight glittering acts. The Pacific Asia Museum focuses on Asian perceptions of the universe over the centuries. The Norton Simon Museum draws on its collection of European, Asian and American art to explore how artists define a spiritual connection with the cosmos. Southwest Chamber Music offers a concert series that ranges from medieval music through a contemporary score based on star charts. Photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope are on display at One Colorado Marketplace, Caltech offers a series of science fiction films and symposiums, and contemporary renditions of the heavens are featured at Art Center College of Design and Armory Center for the Arts. This listing doesn’t include the dozens of special lectures, demonstrations, children’s activities and other events, many free, over the next several months.

Most of the venues are within walking distance of one another; the rest are but a five-minute drive from Old Town Pasadena. The city’s free Arts Bus runs daily along Colorado Boulevard and Green Street, linking several of “The Universe” venues. For details, check out https://www.pasadena- universe.org.

Pasadena’s success in presenting “The Universe” is a model that other local institutions, including those in far-flung Los Angeles, should emulate. This kind of imaginative collaboration is certain to be welcomed by all illuminated minds.