Is this why they call it the "City of Angels"?

The weather in LA is crisp and clear, which is great if you like to spend the morning catching some sun at the apartment pool and evening stargazing at the world famous Griffith Observatory.  We did both today and couldn't be happier about it.  Lucky for us, Jupiter is currently visible and at about 5:49 PM, the International Space Station  (ISS) made a pass over Los Angles which was so bright and fast moving that it was hard to miss even with the naked eye.  We took a photo of the incredible moment when the ISS, Jupiter, and the moon were all close together.  (For the uninitiated, we have labeled all three objects.)

While at the observatory, we also grasped (if only for a moment) the concept of the seasons based on the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth's axis in conjunction with the earth's rotation around the sun.  That alone is an indication at how good the exhibits were at the observatory and is only one of the reasons that we fully recommend a visit.  Griffith Park in LA, like the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, is an absolute must do.

We have seen some great views in our travels (Rockefeller, Hancock Building) and the one from observatory rooftop on this particular Sunday in November would rival any of them, anywhere.  So, we took our obligatory timer shot and here it is:

Before we left, we stopped to view Jupiter up close with one of the observatory's telescopes.  We learned that Jupiter is almost half a billion miles away (the moon is only two hundred thousand miles away) and can fit 1320 earths inside of it.  With the telescope, we could see four of Jupiter's moon surrounding it as well as the dark bands on it's surface.  It was quite amazing!

We finished off the night with some great Mexican food at Mexico City with our good friend, Jim Pate in Los Feliz and plan on revisiting the area soon for some hikes and/or stair walks.

We have updated the song on our blog, so enjoy because, "we love it".