Photos:: Griffith Observatory celebrates its 80th anniversary

Six distinguished astronomers of early history were honored at the formal unveiling of this statue in 1934: Copernicus, Newton, Galileo, Hipperchus, Kepler and Herschel.

Army Air Forces officers, celestial navigation students, are given planetarium demonstrations in 1943 to supplement textbook studies. Here they study Griffith Observatory’s 12-inch refactor telescope.

A few hundred people made their way to the Griffith Observatory to watch the first sunrise of 2012. When the sun crested the horizon cheers and applause rang through the crowd.

Griffith Observatory closed for renovations in 2001.

A lone visitor to the Griffith Observatory watches as a storm front passes over downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 30, 2014.

Griffith Observatory and city at dusk on a clear day in 1997.

Space shuttle Endeavour flies over Griffith Observatory on Sept. 21, 2012.

Griffith Observatory in 2001.

Scaffolding surrounds Griffith Observatory in 2003 during an $83-million restoration project. The copper dome was replaced with new copper.

Griffith Observatory after dark in 2006.

Aerial view of Griffith Observatory and surrounding Griffith Park taken in 2014.