A few weeks ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go to Los Angeles on a quick weekend trip to Griffith Observatory. Boy was I ever wrong…it wasn’t just a good idea, it was a FANTASTICALLY GREAT idea!
My family (all six of us) traveled about 4 hours to arrive at the beautiful observatory and got to experience not only the amazing exhibits showcased inside, but also a star gazing party was setting up on the front lawn area as we pulled up.
It was such a treat to see the planetarium shows inside, and it wasn’t until I was sitting there in the dark with my 5 year old (who was totally speechless with awe, which doesn’t happen often, and that was before the show started!), I remembered that it was always a dream of mine as a kid to be a planetarium show operator. I remember visiting a planetarium in 4th or 5th grade, sitting there in the dark just like my daughter was now, being completely “wow-ed” by the whole experience, and wanting to give that experience to others.
After the show, I went to the back of the room (where the operators were) and introduced mu kids to the technicians, who answered all our questions about the projectors and how everything worked. They even turned on all the lights and brought the main huge projector up from the floor (the one that looks like two giant spheres attached like an hourglass with lenses all over it).
Anyway, long story short – I got to share a magic moment with my family, relive a beautiful childhood memory, and realize that I really do have the best job in the entire world. I mean, not only do I do star shows for kids now across the world with the free classes I do through Supercharged Science (there’s an Astronomy & Spaceflight one coming up in December), but I also get to make a difference every day, and there’s nothing more amazing than that.
