July 27, 2019
8:30 p.m.
Performer: White Album Ensemble
Astronomy Speaker: Dr. Jessica Lu, UC Berkeley
Concert Information
White Album Ensemble
The White Album Ensemble is a 5-10 piece ensemble that covers Beatles music, but Beatles music that was never performed live. The Beatles stopped touring in 1966, and began a recording career that yielded the "classics of our time" from "Rubber Soul," to "Sgt. Peppers," to "Abbey Road."
Excited at the possibilities of performing at the observarory for the fourth year in a row, the group will opt for a minimal, 5 piece, "unplugged" sound, focusing on the vocal harmonies and beauty of songs like "Across the Universe," and "Fixing a hole," and "Because." The band plans to use keyboards and guitars, but no bass or drums so the sound can be contained.
Performers this year will include Richard Bryant (vocals), Omar Spence (vocals), Ken Kraft (vocals and guitar), Stephen Krilanovich (guitar and vocals), and Dale Ockerman (keyboards and assorted instruments). Visit the White Album Ensemble website for more information.
Lecture Information
Dr. Jessica Lu
Hunting for Black Holes with Laser-Guided Adaptive Optics
Dr. Lu is an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at UC, Berkeley. Her research group is conducting a search for free-floating stellar-mass black holes in the Milky Way using gravitational lensing. Her group also studies how stars are born in extreme environments such as in massive star clusters and around the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. These black hole studies require very high resolution images of the Universe at infrared wavelengths. Prof. Lu helps develop astronomical instruments that deliver sharp views of the sky using adaptive optics systems on large ground-based telescopes. She is the Project Scientist for the ‘imaka and KAPA projects, which aim to expand the reach of adaptive optics to wider fields of view and more places in the sky. Prof. Lu is also a member of international science teams for the future Thirty Meter Telescope and the WFIRST space observatory.
Prof. Lu is originally from Houston, TX and attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts, majoring in dance. She received her undergraduate degree in physics from the MIT in 2000. She worked as a software engineer in silicon valley for 3 years before returning to academia to pursue her PhD in astronomy and astrophysics at UCLA, which was granted in 2008. After completing her PhD, she was awarded a Millikan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Observational Astronomy at Caltech and an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) in the University of Hawaii, Manoa. She joined the IfA faculty in 2013 and then, in the summer of 2016, Prof. Lu joined the faculty of the UC Berkeley astronomy department.
Ticket Information
Join Friends of Lick Observatory (FoLO) and Get Tickets Early
If you'd like to purchase tickets as early as noon on April 10th, 2019, join our Friends of Lick Observatory (FoLO) program by April 1st, 2019. As a thank you for supporting the observatory, you'll get special access to purchase tickets before they go on sale for the general public on April 17th at noon.
Ticket Packages
General Admission: $50
Ticket includes concert seating, astronomy lecture, view through the Great Refractor telescope, view through the Nickel Telescope and souvenir wine glass or mug.
Preferred Guest: $90
Ticket includes preferred concert seating, astronomy lecture, preferred viewing through the Great Refractor telescope, preferred viewing through the Nickel Telescope, souvenir wine glass or mug, 20% discount at the gift shop.
VIP: $199
Ticket includes private group tour of the Shane Telescope before the concert, catered buffet dinner in our historic Dining Hall, front center concert seating, astronomy lecture, priority viewing through the 36-inch Great Refractor, priority viewing through the 40-inch Nickel Telescope, souvenir wine glass or mug and 20% Discount at our gift shop.
More Ticket Information
Due to the historic construction of the telescope domes and safety concerns, the 36-inch Great Refractor Telescope and the 40-inch Nickel Telescope are not wheelchair accessible at this time. Those who have difficulty navigating stairs may also find the telescopes inaccessible. Funds are being raised through the Friends of Lick Observatory to repair the elevating floor of the Lick 36-inch telescope to re-enable handicap access.
Tickets are non-refundable. Limit of four tickets per customer. Please be advised that unpredictable weather patterns may restrict telescope viewings, though lectures, concerts and other activities will still take place.
Please note: Due to safety regulations and the nature of the event, children must be at least 12 years of age for admission and accompanied by an adult.
Program Information
| 7:30 p.m. | Doors Open | Brief Telescope Visits |
| 8:30 p.m. | Concert, Main Hall | |
| 9:30 p.m. | Science Talk, Lecture Hall | Telescope Viewings |
| 10:30 p.m. | Science Talk (repeated), Lecture Hall | Telescope Viewings |
| 1:00 a.m. | Doors Close |
Driving to Lick Observatory
Please allow a one-hour drive from San Jose. The road is good, but windy. The event typically lasts between 4 and 6 hours; prepare to drive home late in the evening. There are no automative services or gas stations for 20 miles, so please plan ahead. See more information on driving directions and parking here.
Recommended Attire
Casual, comfortable clothing and walking shoes. A sweater or light coat is recommended.
Safety
Please be careful when walking around in the dark outside; bringing a flashlight is recommended. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed at this event.
Telescopes
The large telescopes will be available for viewing as soon as the sky is dark. Telescopes will remain open until every guest has had an opportunity to see through both the 36-inch Great Refractor and the 40-inch Nickel Telescope.
In order to view through the telescopes, guests will receive a numbered pass at the door. Guests with the lowest telescope numbers are admitted to the telescopes first - so we recommend getting to the observatory early! Please note: Due to historic construction of the telescope domes, the 36-inch Refractor and the 40-inch Nickel Telescope are not wheelchair accessible at this time.
Volunteer amateur astronomers also set up ground telescopes in the back parking so guests can view additional cosmic objects.
Gift Shop
Lick Observatory souvenirs and astronomy merchandise will be available for purchase between 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. You can also visit our Gift Shop online 24/7.
Refreshments
Snacks and beverages will be available near the Nickel Telescope. Vending machines and fountain water are also available.
Assistance
We strive to make your visit as complete and meaningful as possible. Please let us know if you will need special assistance (for example, if you will have difficulty climbing stairs), so we can make the necessary arrangements.
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