2023 Event Tickets go on sale at Noon on May 8, 2023!
Event Information

Evening with the Stars. Photo (c) Laurie Hatch.

2023 Summer Series

Music of the Spheres and Evening with the Stars events are continuing in 2023.  Tickets will go on sale at Noon May 8th, 2023 at Eventbrite. Join our mailing list for event news and updates.  In 2023 we are also hosting Public Evening Tours and Photography Nights, for more opportunities to experience the Observatory at night.

Overview of the 43rd Annual Summer Series

Experience a night to remember at Lick Observatory: Visit us for exceptional music, lectures by renowned scientists, viewings through the historical 36″ Great Refractor and the 40″ Nickel Reflector telescopes and more! Our 2023 line-up*:

June 9th, 8:30pm Evening with the Stars Dr. Jonathan Fortney (UC Santa Cruz)
June 10th, 8:30pm Music of the Spheres Folias Duo

Dr. Daniel Cotton (MIRA)

June 23rd, 8:30pm Evening with the Stars Dr. Jessica Sutter (UC San Diego)
June 24th, 8:30pm Music of the Spheres White Album Ensemble Chamber Orchestra

Dr. Agnès Ferté (KIPAC, SLAC)

July 7th, 8:30pm Evening with the Stars Cyndia Yu (Stanford U)
July 8th, 8:30pm Music of the Spheres Dave Rocha Jazz

Dr. Courtney Dressing (UC Berkeley)

July 21st, 8:30pm Evening with the Stars Howard Isaacson (UC Berkeley)
July 22nd, 8:30pm Music of the Spheres Highland Way

Dr. Tucker Jones (UC Davis)

August 11th, 8:00pm Evening with the Stars Dr. Andy Skemer (UC Santa Cruz)
August 12th, 8:00pm Music of the Spheres The Quitters

Dr. Anna Nierenberg (UC Merced)

August 25th, 8:00pm Evening with the Stars Dr. Bruce Macintosh (UC Observatories)
August 26th, 8:00pm Music of the Spheres Melody of China

Dr. Claire Poppett (UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory)

*We reserve the right to change Performer or Speakers due to last minute schedule changes, illness (COVID or otherwise), etc.

Ticket Information

Tickets for the general public will go on sale on Monday, May 8th, 2023 at noon at Eventbrite. Please email tickets@ucolick.org if you have any questions.

Due to safety regulations in the telescope domes, children must be at least 8 years of age for admission and accompanied by an adult. Due to late program hours, the programs may be difficult for children under 12.  The concert evenings (“Music of the Spheres”) are for visitors 12 and older.  All events will take place rain or shine.

Become a Friend of Lick and Get Tickets Early

The deadline for becoming a FoLO member to enjoy this member benefit is March 1st, 2023 for the 2023 Summer Series. As a thank you for supporting the observatory, members get special access to purchase tickets for the Summer Series one week before the general public. To receive updates and news from us, join our mailing list.

Our upcoming events will have the following COVID-19 safety protocols:

  • COVID-19 safety protocols may change according to the conditions in Santa Clara County and the University of California Santa Cruz policies to ensure the safety of visitors, staff and volunteers.   Ticket purchasers will be notified of the current safety protocols and masking rules shortly before the event.
  • By purchasing a ticket, you agree to abide by the COVID policies in place at the time of the event.

Blast from the Past

Check out this program from 1984!  Our marketing materials may have changed, but the program is still a classic.

1984 Music of the Spheres program