Happy 90th, Griffith Observatory: Join a ‘Celestial Celebration' at the landmark

You say you have a dedicated birthday binder, one of those special dealies with the tabs and the months and the areas where you can jot down gift ideas?

So nice, and we're sure the people in your life appreciate your efforts to remember.

If Griffith Observatory kept such a birthday-tracking notebook, all to record the ages of all of the planets and stars it knows — Jupiter, the sun, various nebulae, and so forth — it would be crammed with so many iconic heavenly bodies, planets and stars that are much, much, MUCH older than the cosmic landmark. (And we're not sure how long it would take for a birthday card to reach these far-off places.)

And yet?

A milestone birthday is a major thing, and honoring Griffith Observatory at 90 years is a positively twinkly thing to do, as twinkly as the stars that are featured within the institution's hallowed halls and informative exhibits.

You're invited to the galactic gathering to do just that, a festivity that will take place at the Griffith Park destination May 14.

It's a celebratory day for a cool cosmic-porium of space knowledge, look-up wonder, and science splendor.

Jupiter will not be in attendance, nor any asteroids or comets or moons, but earthlings who arrive close to the noon o'clock opening may receive a birthday button (supplies are limited, just keep in mind).

"Celestial Celebrations: 90 Years of Griffith Observatory and the Stories in the Sky with Rex Saint' Onge, Sr." will sparkle at 6:15 p.m., both at the observatory and online.

"Mr. Saint' Onge, Sr. draws from thousands of years of indigenous California astronomy to show how celestial alignments mark significant moments, like birthdays and this very special anniversary," shares the observatory staff.

And at 9:52 p.m., an online broadcast of the Major Lunar Standstill Southern Moonrise will give at-home viewers a look at the "major lunar standstill cycle" of 2024 and 2025.

Nine decades is but a blip, it is true, in the universe's epic timeline, but when it comes to telling the tale of terrestrial beings who have lived around Los Angeles since 1935, or frequented the city?

Griffith Observatory is an absolute legend, and, for so many of us, the powerful place where our astronomical love affair began.

Happy 90th to a universe-embracing institution that has "GO" in its very initials, a clear reminder that if you need to commune with the cosmos, you only need head up the hill.