Live music at Mt. Wilson Observatory is asparkle (but the season will soon dim)

We may never hear a string quartet while vacationing on one of Jupiter's moons, alas.

And enjoying the playful notes of the piccolo while exploring Pluto? Probably not in our immediate future (though Pluto and piccolo fans can dream).

But we call upon a prominent place of profound science that, when the moment is right, doubles as an acoustically amazing concert hall.

It's the vaulted dome — and "vaulted" doesn't quite go far enough here, in describing how sky-high the space is — that houses the 100-inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory.

The landmark, which has been perched over Pasadena for well over a century, is associated with numerous astronomical discoveries, the sorts of headline-making finds that found celebrated star-watchers peering into some of the deepest reaches of known space.

But on Sept. 10 and Oct. 8, the journeys taking place within the dome will be constructed of sound, joy, flair, and inspiration. For the Sunday Afternoon Concerts are taking the center "stage" that day, and by "stage" we do mean a spot in the vicinity of the world-famous telescope.

The Long Beach Symphony Sextet is in the September spotlight while the Los Angeles Reed Quintet will visit in October.

A ticket is $55 and this is very much an ahead-of-time sort of purchase. (The concept of time figures greatly in astronomy, after all, so it won't be difficult to remember that you'll need to buy ahead.)

Soon, very soon, the snow will return to the observatory, or at least the mountaintop temperatures of winter. That means the concert season will dim, or at least flicker, like some distant star.

True, this gem of a series has a wonderful way of returning around the time that warmer days come back, but don't wait for next spring if you'd desiring a quirky combo of astronomy, wonder, and aural enjoyment.