Every once in a while a print newspaper really nails their online content.
Just last week when the Griffith Observatory re-opened in Los Angeles after being closed for five years and $93 million in renovations, the LA Times gave it quite a worthy reception on their website. Visitors can read a variety of archived articles about the observatory, listen to a podcast with the observatory director, check out a 360-degree view, download a PDF map, watch a video, and browse through photo galleries.
It’s worth it folks.
The observatory has been a Los Angeles landmark since it was built in 1935, and perhaps more iconically, since it was featured in the James Dean classic, Rebel without a Cause. I visited a few times as a kid and vividly remember the awesome Foucault pendulum and the laserium shows in the planetarium.
Today, the planetarium and the pendulum still remain, as well as a massive addition to the underground portion of the observatory–the location where most of the renovations occurred.
Because of the bright lights from the city, however, the observatory will never be a world-class scientific outpost. It is instead, a world-class educational facility for those who love astronomy and even for those who don’t think they love astronomy (but will by the time they leave).
And the best thing, it’s free! Although reservations are required.