Griffith Through the Decades
DISTINGUISHED ASTRONOMERS: . The Astronomers Monument, which was dedicated in November 1934, was built as part of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration’s art program. The monument features the likenesses of six prominent astronomers: Copernicus, Newton, Galileo, Hipparchus, Kepler and Herschel. (John H. McCrory / LAT)
PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION: Army Air Force officers were given planetarium demonstrations at Griffith Observatory as part of their training in celestial navigation. Here, in this 1943 photo, they get a close look at the observatory’s 12-inch refractor telescope. (Geo. R Watson / LAT)
CLASSICAL TOUCHES: More than 13 million people have watched night sky shows at the planetarium theater, which is housed under the observatory’s largest dome, pictured in this 1947 photo. World War II aviators and moon-walking Apollo astronauts learned how to navigate using the stars inside the dome. (Martin Litton / LAT)
LANDING SITE: The observatory was ready with exhibits and displays after the 1969 lunar landing of Apollo 11. Kathleen Bates, age 9 of Studio City, checked out the moon landing site during an August 1969 visit to the observatory. (Joe Kennedy / LAT)
