On December 10, 2011, from 4:30 to 6:30 a.m. Griffith Observatory gave visitors a chance to view the lunar eclipse through telescopes
On Sunday, February 19, 2012, Griffith Observatory hosted two free public lectures marking the 50th anniversary of the historic flight of Friendship 7, on which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.
Griffith Observatory Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 16 Mission
On Sunday, May 20, the Observatory welcomed thousands of people for free viewing of the partial solar eclipse.
On Tuesday, June 5, Griffith Observatory welcomed thousands of people for a once-in-a-lifetime free viewing of the transit of Venus.
On August 2, 2012, Griffith Observatory hosted a special screening of the film Triumph of the Dream followed by a discussion with director Norman Seeff. The event was also streamed live online.
On Sunday, August 5, 2012, Griffith Observatory hosted thousands of visitors to watch the landing of NASA's Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars.
On Friday, September 21, 2012, Griffith Observatory hosted thousands of people for multiple flyovers by the space shuttle Endeavour as it passed over Los Angeles landmarks prior to landing at LAX.
Griffith Observatory Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 17 Mission
On Friday, December 21, 2012, Griffith Observatory hosted special activities to mark the end of Baktun-13 on the Maya calendar and NOT the end of the world.