Griffith Observatory sits on the side of Mount Hollywood within Griffith Park, one of the largest municipal parks in North America and home to over 4,210 acres of natural chaparral and landscaped parkland. We share this area with wildlife of all kinds—some spookier than others. 

From lizards in the Archive to spiders in the spectroscope, Observatory staff frequently encounter local fauna. Observatory Program Supervisor Patrick So once encountered a scorpion in the planetarium projector lift room. Traffic Attendant Skip Sinclair has made friends with a coyote he has named "Reggie." The overnight crew enjoys watching deer grazing on the front lawn. The technical staff occasionally removes at least 25 pounds of acorns dropped by woodpeckers into the Zeiss dome shutter mechanism. Observatory Director Dr. E.C. Krupp redirected a rattlesnake at the staff's west entrance. For snakes, we have the Rangers and their snake bucket. As Park Ranger Jalen Woods recounts,

"We get rattlesnake calls on the radio. Rattlesnakes come out in the warmer seasons onto trails near the Observatory. We try to locate them and bring the snake tongs and this bucket to transport them elsewhere.

We try to get a feel by giving the snake a gentle poke with the tongs to see if it's aggressive or will allow handling. We carefully and cautiously grab below the head. Some try to wrestle. Steadily, we move the snake into the bucket, get it away from the public, and put it somewhere nearby in the brush off the public path. If we move the snakes too far from where they’re found, it dramatically reduces their chance for survival. We don’t move them too far—just far enough to not pose a danger to people.

Someone from the Zoo comes to train the Ranger division on handling and relocating snakes. I've been a park ranger for three years. I love the task—I'm an animal lover. When there's a snake call, I'm usually the first to jump on it. I've caught rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, and king snakes."

Park Ranger Jalen Woods holds the snake bucket and tongs in front of the Observatory. (E. Ritts / Griffith Observatory)

You may spot the notorious snake bucket along the back wall of the Information Booth on the Observatory's Historic Level—that is, if it's not currently being employed to relocate a snake.

Let's keep scariness out of the snake bucket by doing our part to keep the snakes happy. Thank you for helping to protect park wildlife and habitats by driving the speed limit, disposing of trash, keeping dogs leashed, and never feeding animals or smoking in the park.

Griffith Observatory has a dungeon guarded by snakes.

Currently an essential storage space, Observatory staff call the room at the very bottom of the Observatory "the Dungeon." The pathway that leads to it is off-limits to visitors, and the lack of foot traffic makes it a hotspot for rattlesnake encounters. When Observatory Carpenter Grant Armstrong opens the door to the dungeon, he does it slowly, for he was once surprised by a tarantula. For most of the building's history, however, the room housed the heating system boiler.

A peek inside the Observatory dungeon. (E. Ritts / Griffith Observatory)

The scary truth: The exhaust from this boiler partially caused the damage that stained the Observatory's original copper planetarium dome for many years. The boiler produced heat for the building via fuel oil. The smokestack went up through the Dungeon into the space between the planetarium dome and the inner walls of the building. The exhaust, fumes, and contaminants then went straight out the top of the dome. The even scarier truth: in the 1940s, the LAPD had mounted a radio antenna and its angle-iron platform there. When it rained, the iron rusted, and the rust streaked down the dome.

The planetarium dome in 1981, photographed from a helicopter. (Myrna Saxe)

When Dr. E.C. Krupp first saw the dome in 1957 after he moved to Los Angeles with his parents, it "broke [his] heart." Twenty-six years later, as Director, he initiated its restoration in 1983. Subscribers, our gift to you: the full story, written by Dr. Krupp for the May, 1985, issue of the Griffith Observer magazine. It details the daunting journey of pioneering a method of restoration for our copper dome—among the largest of its kind in the United States.

Thankfully, the building's HVAC systems were modified and then completely replaced during the 2002-2006 Observatory renovation and expansion and relocated to the mechanical area on the east side of the hill. As part of that project, workers also replaced the dome's copper panels. While the Dungeon may no longer house the infamous boiler, it instead houses historic paperwork and old parts, and an occasional tarantula.

Public Star Party

Saturday, October 25, 2025

2:00 p.m. - 9:45 p.m.

Griffith Observatory

Star Parties are FREE opportunities for the whole family to look at the Sun, Moon, visible planets, and other objects, to try out a variety of telescopes, and to talk to knowledgeable amateur astronomers about the sky and their equipment.

NOTE: Because of the restoration work on the lawn, this star party will be smaller than usual (only ten telescopes).

Science Night:

A Safe Place for Space

Sunday, October 26, 2025

3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Garvey Ranch Observatory

Visit Griffith Observatory Foundation's table at Science Night. This FREE, family-friendly, and special-needs-friendly event is hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS). No reservation required.

Enjoy some wholesome fun with LAAS members, staff from Griffith Observatory, and other local astronomy enthusiasts. There will be costumes, telescopes, healthy treats, free activities from space organizations, spooky music, and more!

Griffith Observatory staff members maintain a tradition of astronomical costumes at the Observatory on Halloween. This selection from last year was documented by Video Production Coordinator Ella Ritts.

Museum Guides Ginger Rose Brucker as constellation Lyra, Katie Jacques as the phases of the Moon, Ellie Mak as Leia on planet Hoth in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Eli Barraza as a space sorcerer, and Derrick Thurman as NASA astronaut Guion Bluford

Museum Guide John Palmer as Galileo

Assistant Park Services Attendants Kyle Mantegna as a space man and Marilyn Kohn as a NASA technician

Archivist Beth McDonald as Coppermine, the Observatory's archiving software, with the original pickaxe from Griffith Observatory's groundbreaking ceremony on June 21, 1933

Programming Staff Assistant Jessica Soto as astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt

Museum Guide Laura-May Abron as Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS (while performing a spirited talk in the Gottlieb Transit Cooridor)

Assistant Park Services Attendant Adam Gothreaux as planet Mars, with rover

Deputy Director Mark Pine as a jack-o-lantern, barely qualifying him under his own rule that all staff costumes must be astronomical

Astronomical Observer Vanessa Alarcon, Video Production Coordinator Ella Ritts, and Digital Communications Coordinator Pixie Iwata as Griffith Observatory, Transformers-style

Vanessa, Ella, and Pixie in their Griffith Observatory costume. (J. Soto / Griffith Observatory)

Are you curious about previous Griffith Observatory Foundation Spooky Newsletters? 🧛

Check out our editions from 2024, 2023, and 2022.