Los Angeles Observatory

The sun was setting in LA and we were stuck in traffic. Once we finally approached the Observatory, the sun was gone. That is not a bad thing tho there is so much to see in this place, not only outside but inside as well. This greets you as soon as you walk in, is this massive Pendulum where you have to stop and just dive into before exploring the rest of the building. If you are ever in LA or you live there and hvave never been there before, you must check it out. Los Angeles Observatory is truly awesome…

The gently swaying Foucault Pendulum in the W.M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda has long been a visitor favorite since the building opened in 1935. One of the largest such devices in the world, the fully restored pendulum is actually an elegant scientific instrument which demonstrates the Earth’s rotation.

The 240-pound brass ball, suspended by a cable 40 feet long, swings in a constant direction while the Earth turns beneath it. The pendulum is mounted to a bearing in the rotunda ceiling that does not turn with the building as it rotates with the Earth. A ring magnet at the bearing gives a little tug on each swing of the pendulum to keep the pendulum in motion. As the day passes, the pendulum knocks over pegs set up in the pendulum pit and indicates the progress of rotation. www.griffithobservatory.org

Don’t forget to Subscribe to get the latest updates on gear and of corse my blog posts. Thank you again for dropping by.

Information

>