Beyond the Milky Way Day?

Good morning, Pasadena. This is News N’ Roses. The next time you see a block of fine print on a contest, you can blame Caltech. In 1975, students from Page House took McDonald’s “enter as often as you wish” literally, submitting more than 1 million entries and walking away with 20% of the prizes, including a station wagon.

In today’s News N’ Roses:

• Mount Wilson Could Get Its Own “Beyond the Milky Way Day”

• Civic News

• Restaurant Spotlight

  • Bodegón No. 69

• Live Music Lowdown

Let’s get to it.

—Matthew Ramirez

THE DIGEST

Mount Wilson Could Get Its Own “Beyond the Milky Way Day”

More than a century ago, an astronomer looking through a telescope above Pasadena helped prove that the Milky Way was not the entire universe. That observation came from Mount Wilson Observatory on the night of Oct. 5, 1923, when Edwin Hubble identified a variable star in the Andromeda Galaxy. The finding showed Andromeda was far beyond the Milky Way, confirming that our galaxy was just one of many.

Rep. Judy Chu is pushing to formally recognize that moment. She introduced a House resolution this week supporting Oct. 5 as “National Beyond the Milky Way Day,” marking the anniversary of the discovery. Chu introduced a House resolution this week supporting Oct. 5 as “National Beyond the Milky Way Day,” commemorating the night in 1923 when astronomer Edwin Hubble made an observation at Mount Wilson Observatory that completely changed our understanding of the universe.

A little background: Mount Wilson Observatory was founded in 1904 by astronomer George Ellery Hale in the San Gabriel Mountains. Its famous 100-inch Hooker Telescope, completed in 1917, was the largest telescope in the world at the time and helped turn Southern California into a major center of astronomy. On the night of Oct. 5–6, 1923, Hubble pointed that telescope toward Andromeda, then thought by many astronomers to be a fuzzy object somewhere inside our own Milky Way. On a photographic glass plate, Hubble initially marked one point of light “N” for nova. After comparing observations, he realized it was actually a Cepheid variable star and dramatically crossed out the “N” and wrote “VAR!”. That little scribble was a very big deal.

Thanks to earlier work by astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt, scientists knew Cepheid stars could be used to calculate cosmic distances. Hubble’s measurements showed the star was simply too far away to belong to the Milky Way. Andromeda was its own galaxy, meaning our galaxy wasn’t the universe. It was just one galaxy in a universe filled with them. More than a hundred years later, Hubble’s original “VAR!” plate is still here in Pasadena, preserved in Carnegie Science’s astronomical plate archives.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Wednesday (10/7)

🍂 Autumn Festival: Celebrate the arrival of autumn with a special exhibition at the Japanese Heritage Shōya House. The Huntington’s Japanese Heritage Shoya House | Wednesday | October 7 | 12–4PM

🔬 WOW! That’s STEM: Pasadena-area high school students lead a free kids’ workshop on invisible forces, with a mini air cannon build. Lamanda Park Branch Library | Wednesday | October 7 | 4PM

🎃 Carved: As the sun sets, Descanso Gardens comes alive for Carved, a festive fall celebration filled with glowing jack-o’-lanterns, giant hand-carved pumpkins, illuminated railroad displays, whimsical wood spirits, and seasonal surprises around every corner. Descanso Gardens | Wednesday | October 7 | 6–10PM

🎓 PEN Host Middle School Parent Panel: A parent panel focused on middle school topics, hosted at Norma Coombs Elementary. Norma Coombs Elementary School Auditorium | Wednesday | October 7 | 6:30–8PM

👟 Walktober 2026: Pasadena Run Club – Run/Walk Wednesdays at Lululemon: A weekly run/walk meetup hosted out of the lululemon store on Colorado Blvd. Pasadena lululemon | Wednesday | October 7 | 6PM

🧠 Trivia Night: Game Night Trivia hosts a weekly trivia night with food and beer available from Stone Brewing. Stone Brewing Tap Room – Pasadena | Wednesday | October 7 | 6PM

🎵 Class Series: Introduction to Musicology in “This Land Is…”: A musicology class series held at the Huntington exploring themes from “This Land Is…” The Huntington’s Education and Visitor Center, Steven’s Classroom | Wednesday | October 7 | 7–9PM

📚 Monte Burke discusses & signs Men of Troy: The NYT bestselling author reads from his reported account of Pete Carroll’s USC dynasty and its Heisman winners and national championships. Vroman’s Bookstore | Wednesday | October 7 | 7PM

🎭 Come From Away: Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s musical about 7,000 airline passengers stranded in Newfoundland on 9/11, performed in A Noise Within’s intimate theater. A Noise Within | Wednesday | October 7 | 7:30PM

Thursday (10/8)

🏡 Meet Me At The Village!: A community gathering at the Pasadena Village Office. Pasadena Village Office Community Room | Thursday | October 8 | 10AM

🌿 Village Connections: Learn & Connect: Heritage Clinic United Mental Health Promoters and Pasadena Village lead a free wellness session for adults 65+ covering grounding and resilience-building skills. Washington Park Community House | Thursday | October 8 | 2PM

🎃 Sierra Madre Community Excursion: Carved at Descanso Gardens: A Sierra Madre community outing to Descanso Gardens’ annual carved pumpkin display. Descanso Gardens | Thursday | October 8 | 4:30PM

📚 Mirelle Ortega Reading Pepe and the Piñata and Craft: Illustrator Mirelle Ortega reads the book she illustrated, followed by a make-your-own mini piñata workshop, with free books while supplies last. Bob Lucas Library | Thursday | October 8 | 4–5PM

🌽 South Pasadena Farmers’ Market: California-grown produce sold directly from farms, plus prepared food vendors and live music under the trees. 920 Meridian Ave | Thursday | October 8 | 4–7PM

🏊 Rose Bowl Aquatics Center’s 2026 Annual Benefit: Rising to the Moment: Olympic gold medalist Jason Lezak headlines as keynote speaker, with awards going to Kathryn Barger, Chad Durieux, and Pat Amsbry. Noor Pasadena | Thursday | October 8 | 5:30PM

📚 Hernan Diaz, in conversation with Percival Everett, discusses “Ply”: Pulitzer-winning author of Trust discusses his new novel set in a future where a black-market electricity thief navigates a post-state society. Pasadena Presbyterian Church | Thursday | October 8 | 7PM

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events are regularly added to the News N’ Roses events page.

*Nothing in this section is sponsored. These are just the things you need to know. I’ll always let you know if something is sponsored!

CIVIC NEWS

Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee Meeting

Pasadena’s Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee meets Wednesday, October 7 at 5PM in the City Hall Council Chamber, Room S249. Click here to view the agenda.

Municipal Services Committee Meeting

Pasadena’s Municipal Services Committee meets Wednesday, October 7 at 5PM in the City Hall Council Chamber, Room S249. Click here to view the agenda.

Commission on the Status of Women Meeting

Pasadena’s Commission on the Status of Women meets Wednesday, October 7 at 6PM at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Click here to view the agenda.

Rental Registration Walk-in Session

Pasadena’s Rent Stabilization Department is offering a walk-in session Thursday, October 8 from 9AM–12PM at its First Floor Conference Room, 199 S. Los Robles Ave., for one-on-one help completing rental registration and answering questions about the process. Click here for more information.

RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

Bodegón No. 69

Bodegón No. 69 is a small Peruvian restaurant on Raymond, between Holly and Union. The food is homestyle and the portions are big. Plates come out loaded with ceviche, stir-fries, and rice dishes.

Now this is an unlikely story: it’s run by Mauricio Vincenzi, an Argentine electrical engineer who switched to restaurants after waiting tables at a Peruvian spot in the Valley, and chef Sandra Loli Lam, whom he met there. Lam is Peruvian-Chinese, and her menu reflects the mix of cultures behind Peruvian food. Ceviche is on one page, and wok-fired beef and fried rice are on the next. Isn’t that so cool?!

The dish everyone seems to order is papa a la huancaína: yellow potatoes covered in a creamy, slightly spicy ají amarillo sauce.

The other big ones are the Ceviche B69, which puts fried calamari on top of a mixed seafood ceviche, and the lomo saltado, a sirloin stir-fry that comes with fries and rice.

If you’ve never tried chicha morada, it’s a sweet, spiced drink made from purple corn, and it’s very good. They also have a frozen lúcuma drink. Lúcuma is a Peruvian fruit that tastes a bit like caramel and sweet potato.

📍 69 N. Raymond Ave. · Mon–Wed 4–9 p.m., Thu & Sun noon–9 p.m., Fri–Sat noon–10 p.m.

Check out their menu here.

WEATHER

Wednesday

96 🌡️ 72 |☀️| 💨 SW 8 mph

🌆 Air Quality Index: 51 (Moderate)

Thursday

93 🌡️ 68 |☀️| 💨 SW 7 mph

Temperature readings taken from the Pasadena Doppler Radar.

LIVE MUSIC

🎸 The David Eastlee Trio: Guitarist David Eastlee and his trio perform jazz standards. Edwin Mills | Wednesday | October 7 | 6PM

🎺 An Evening of Jazz with Elliott Caine: Trumpeter Elliott Caine returns to Visionarium for an evening of live jazz with food and drinks available throughout the night. Visionarium | Wednesday | October 7 | 6:30PM

🎸 Doug MacDonald: Jazz guitarist Doug MacDonald performs standards with a style rooted in swing and bebop. Edwin Mills | Thursday | October 8 | 6PM

☘️ Irish Music at Griffins of Kinsale: Enjoy live Irish music at Griffins of Kinsale. Griffins of Kinsale | Wednesday | October 7 | 8PM

THANKS!

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