LA - Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory

  - Gordon

hiking to the top
of the mountain
Beautiful apartments look like jewels

hiking to the top
of the mountain 

hiking to the top
of the mountain

   If you like exercise, follow me, we'll climb a mountain. What's special? Look around, see the Hollywood sign on the mountain? It is the one and the only one sign at Los Angeles. Beautiful apartments look like jewels. Now, we're hiking down the humongous mountain. We are going to our destination, Griffith Observatory.

butterfly on top of the mountain



Hollywood sign

plain next to Griffith Observatory

     Let's rest at that plain next to Griffith Observatory. What's in here? A movie theater! Where do you get the tickets? Do they have popcorn? What is the name of this dome? "The name of the dome is Samuel Oschin Planetarium. "What else is in here...?A REALLY BIG TELESCOPE!   

    Okay, it's time to see Jupiter through a telescope and Venus with naked eye. Hey, it is still bright out here! How can you see the planets when the sun is still in the sky? This is so cool.

    Griffith Observatory can answer any questions you wonder about space. You can study astronomy. Later on, you might become an astronaut. It is the best!

on the roof of Griffith Observatory

On the roof of Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory

- Aaron

Griffith Observatory

       The cool Griffith Observatory is a pretty white building on the slope of Hollywood Land. There are fun movies, exhibits that contain facts about a variety of things, small telescopes to look through, and you can take a long hike. Each tiny telescope is pointed at a different celestial objects, such as a close planet of our solar system. The wonderful Griffith Observatory isn't on the top of the tall mountain, but you can hike to the tippy top and climb back down to Griffith Observatory (it's very tiring). If you visit there very often, you'll find out about a ton of stuff.

    The movies happen in a humongous planetarium called the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. Every day, there are 3 shows. Water is Life tells which other planets or moons in our solar system have water. Light of the Valkyries tells Viking mythology about the beautiful and colorful Northern Lights. Other movies can tell you more about a wide range of awesome subjects.

    Exhibits are featured in a long hall that tell about different things. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter are caused by Earth's tilt on its axis. Day and night happen because Earth sometimes faces the bright Sun and at other times, it turns away from the Sun. Eclipses happen when the Sun or Moon is blocked out by another object. The fantastic hall has many more exhibits with lots more facts to share with you.

Zeiss 12-inch telescope
aimed at Jupiter

    If you're patient, at 7:00 P.M., you can see through all of telescopes. The biggest one: the Zeiss 12-inch telescope (it isn't that small) is aimed at Jupiter, and you can see it, day and night. Jupiter looks like a tiny ball with 2 red stripes through the telescope. Others aim at stars and Venus. The smaller telescopes on the lawn are aimed for those objects. It can't get any better than that!

long hiking trail

    Would you go into your car and drive to Griffith Observatory, or take the long way: hiking? I would prefer riding. The hike uses up all your energy. It's also risky, because if you take 1 wrong turn and you find yourself on the wrong side of the mountain! Only those with lots of energy should hike.

    At the excellent Griffith Observatory, there's all this stuff and more! Movies can shed more light on a lot of subjects, Even in the bright day, you can check things out with a telescope that can usually only be seen at night! I sat next to a copper statue of Einstein who's observing a piece of the universe. Everything's fine, but just don't take the hike! I love the things found in the Griffith Observatory.

Sitting next to Einstein

LA - California Science Center

California Science Center

- Aaron



plane at the back

view of the back

 

          We had a wonderful trip to the California Science Center. There were fun activities, a huge garden, and cool space meteorites! The beautiful garden had a big fountain. There was at least 1 of every type of meteorite: 1 iron, 1 stony-iron, and 3 stony. I've never went to a better place.

pumping up a rocket into Earth orbit

          There were different types of awesome activities. Some involved rotating magnets, some involved using healthy solar power, and some were pure games for fun. Can you make the magnet move more like a motor than I could? I love the solar powered car game because it was like a race and the fuel for the cars were slowly rotating lights. My dad pumped up a rocket to Earth orbit at the fast speed of 279.9 miles per hour even though his arm didn't go as fast. The activities were so fun that I want to do them again.




large Rose Garden

          I've never seen a bigger garden than the large Rose Garden at the back of the excellent California Science Center. The fountain sprayed cool mist all over the four of us and made a pretty rainbow in the air. We ate a little snack there when the spray came. There were tons and tons of roses too. Did anybody know that many roses could fit into that space?



Apollo Soyuz Project

Gemini 11

          There were 2 real space shuttles parts and 1 model, Gemini 11, Apollo Soyuz Project and Cassini model. The heat  shield for Gemini 11 was badly burnt but is still won't 100% burnt. The Apollo Soyuz Project was supposed to be Apollo 18 but government didn't fund it. I thought the Cassini model was larger than life until I found out it was the same size. They all have happy and sad stories to tell.

          The small space meteorites at the California Science Center have their own history. If scientists find out where it came from, it can tell what the surface used to be like, whether it was hot, cold, or warm. For example, scientists find a smooth rocky meteorite from the Moon. They can find out that the Moon's surface used to have lava flows because the rock is made from hardened lava. Meteorites are really like storytellers from other planets or moons.


1/5th scale of Hubble space telescope

          A model of the Hubble Space Telescope is at the California Science Center. Did you know that the real one is as big as a school bus. The space shuttle Discovery launched it into orbit on April 24, 1990. It takes on 95 minutes to orbit Earth when traveling at 27,280 km per hour (16,900 miles per hour). It can see more better without Earth's atmosphere so that is why it's in space. The model of the telescope has lots of details.

on a single wire

really high bike

 

high wire bike riding



          The high wire bike on the highest floor of the California Science Center was supported by a single wire. When I got to ride on it, I kept looking down so I got really scared. The bike was on the 3rd story so if I fell, I'd hit the floor 2 stories down. If you always lose in biking contests, then you don't have to worry about losing on the high wire bike! It was scary and fun for me at the same time.

U.S. Air Force plane (faster than sound)

F-20 Tigershark (U.S .Air Force)

          The U. S. Air Force planes were awesome. Both of them were faster than sound. The F-20 Tigershark is the last of its prototype! The T-38 Talon Jet Trainer was the first twin-engine supersonic jet trainer and is still used. I wish there could be more planes to see.



          The long trip to LA was worth it because of the wonderful California Science Center. Nobody could possibly hate this place. Go there, and you'll find out for yourself. You'll find out this place is loveable. You can't find a even better place to go to.

California Science Center

- Gordon

solar system facts and movies

real polar bear skin

air craft driving simulator

    Today, we decided to go to a museum. It was called California Science Center. After we finished breakfast, it was time to go outside, study, and have fresh air.

green slime station

    I could not wait to get there. We saw amazing stuff everywhere. A model of the Hubble telescope, Gemini 11 space capsule and Apollo. There were really cool activities like making goo.

    We saw a movie with popcorn. It was talking about Galapagos Island. It talked about lizards evolving, drinking salt water instead of fresh water. They spit out the salt from their nose.

really silly, trying to find the temperature of the plates?

    The rose garden is beautiful and vivid. You can enjoy the sight from every angle. What a great place to rest.

   California science center is a very good place. It can be very educational and teaches people about space. Hooray for Science!