Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 5:30 PM to 11:45 PM
Mount Wilson Observatory, Mt Wilson
#### **Compelling talks followed by picnicking and convivial stargazing through both the big telescopes.** **Come enjoy an inspiring night on the mountain!** The evening begins with the talk at 5:30 in our Auditorium, followed by observing through both the 60- and 100-inch telescopes from dusk to 11:30PM — the two largest telescopes in the world available for public use. Additional stargazing around the grounds will be available from members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society. Food will be available for purchase from a food truck, or bring your own picnic! **We are pleased to offer ASL interpretation for this lecture, making the program more accessible to our Deaf and hard-of-hearing guests.** ### TICKETS: $50 [](https://mtwilson.app.neoncrm.com/event.jsp?event=19208&) Please note: All ticket sales are final. We’re unable to offer refunds, exchanges, or transfers. Thank you for understanding! #### **Speaker:** Prof. Jenny Krestow, Glendale Community College And Dr. Chris Burns, Carnegie Science Observatories #### **Topic: “Decoding Cosmic Rainbows”** In July of 2022, the first images from the James Webb Space telescope were released. Amongst the incredible images of galaxies, nebulas, and stars was the spectrum of WASP-96b, an extra-solar planet. This was by far the more scientifically interesting result, but it got relatively little exposure in the media. This just goes to show that there is a whole other dimension of astronomical data you don’t often see in press releases: spectroscopy. This method of breaking light into its composite colors and analyzing the patterns therein has lead to some of the most important discoveries in astronomy, including the detection of water in the atmosphere of WASP-96b! In this talk, we will describe how spectroscopy works, some of the fascinating discoveries made using spectra, and what the near future will bring. Hopefully by the end of the talk, you will look upon that first JWST spectrum with as much wonder and excitement as the eye-popping images. Courtesy NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI [Directions to Mount Wilson Observatory](https://www.mtwilson.edu/1map/)