[photo credit: Mount Wilson Observatory]
The three programs are the last of the 2026 season for the observatory’s concert, matinee and Talks & Telescopes series, according to an announcement from its publicist, Green Galactic. The observatory’s calendar also lists engineering tours Oct. 11 and Oct. 24 and Los Angeles Astronomical Society star parties Oct. 3 and Nov. 7. The observatory is operated by the Mount Wilson Institute, which is based at 75 S. Grand Ave. in Pasadena.
The Oct. 4 concert, “Piano Quartets,” features pianist David Kaplan, violinist Ambroise Aubrun, violist Ariana Solotoff and cellist Cécilia Tsan in works by Mahler and Brahms. Performances are at 3 and 5 p.m., with a reception outside the dome at 4 p.m., and tickets are $65. Children under 6 are not permitted, and all ticket sales are final, according to the observatory. The observatory’s 1907 Steinway Model O grand piano will take center stage, according to the announcement.
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” the 1956 science-fiction film, screens at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, in the observatory’s 256-seat auditorium. Tickets are $20, or $15 for children under 12.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, Sam Hale, CEO and chairman of the board of the Mount Wilson Institute and a grandson of observatory founder George Ellery Hale, will speak on “The Duality of Genius and Struggle: G. E. Hale.” Hale turned a Pasadena community school into what became the California Institute of Technology and, while serving on the city’s Planning Commission, was a major force behind its civic center, according to the observatory. The 5:30 p.m. talk is followed by viewing through the 60- and 100-inch telescopes until 11:30 p.m., and tickets are $50.
Russell Crotty’s exhibition “Nocturnal Landscapes From The Arid West” remains in the 100-inch telescope dome on Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m. through Oct. 17, according to the announcement. Admission is $5, and children under 12 are free.
Parking at the observatory requires a U.S. Forest Service Adventure Pass; a $5 day pass is sold at the observatory’s Cosmic Cafe on weekends. The observatory is not ADA-compliant, and the dome is reached by a 53-step staircase.
NEED TO KNOW
Event: Mount Wilson Observatory October programs — Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome, “Piano Quartets”; Matinees on the Mountain, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”; Saturday Evening Talks & Telescopes, “The Duality of Genius and Struggle: G. E. Hale.” When: Sunday, Oct. 4; Saturday, Oct. 10; Saturday, Oct. 17. Time: 3 and 5 p.m.; 3 p.m.; 5:30 p.m. Cost: $65; $20, $15 for children under 12; $50. Where: Mount Wilson Observatory, Mount Wilson Circle Road and Mount Wilson Toll Road, Mount Wilson. Parking: U.S. Forest Service Adventure Pass required; $5 day pass sold at the Cosmic Cafe on weekends. For more, visit https://www.mtwilson.edu/
