Just 5 miles (8 kilometers) away from JPL in the San Gabriel Mountains lies Mount Wilson Observatory, which survived a close call with a flare-up of the Eaton fire's northern extent on Jan. 9.

Last year’s celestial events were quite spectacular, with two off-the-chart displays of northern lights that could be seen in all 50 states, a comet and a total solar eclipse. Although 2025 won’t ...