Come join the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers this November 19th between 1 and 4pm for their Telescope Clinic and Open House! At this event you’ll find knowledgable amateur astronomers with their telescopes and gear on display and available to answer questions. This is a great opportunity if you’re thinking about getting into astronomy! Learn where to get started, the type of gear you should buy and, more importantly, avoid. Already an amateur astronomer?

An illustrated, non-technical presentation that will describe the astronomy of civilizations ranging from the seagoing Polynesians, to the builders of Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids, to our own First Nations. Also being mentioned will be the astronomy of China, India, and the Islamic world, since it is often under-appreciated. Throughout, we will emphasize the challenge of understanding the astronomy of long ago, in civilizations which, in many cases, left no written records. Drop-in program. First come, first seated.

The Ryerson Faculty of Science is launching the STEAM Café on 10 Thousand Coffees. Like LinkedIn, it’s a place for computer science, biology, chemistry, medical physics and math alumni and industry professionals (like members of the RASC) to mentor current students, make connections and build relationships. Think of it as the casual coffee chat instead of the dreaded cold call.   Join Ryerson on November 2nd from 6pm-8pm at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, for the Welcome to the STEAM Café Launch Party, hosted by the Faculty of Science and Ryerson Science Society. 

Speaker: Randy Attwood, Executive Director - The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Amateur astronomy has changed drastically over the past 50 years. Telescopes made in the basement have been replaced with high quality instruments capable of performing astronomical research. Those new to astronomy are confronted with computerized telescopes and unfortunately, disappearing skies due to light pollution.

What would happen to you if you fell into a black hole? Why is Dark Matter so mysterious? These are some questions that will be explored with a visual showcase of cartoons and comics. A presentation by Rina Piccolo.

In a quest for ever-clearer views of the sky astronomers put telescopes in remote places, even in the middle of Antarctica. Professor Keith Vanderlinde of the Dunlap Institute talks about his work with the 10m South Pole Telescope and why he undertook an 11-month 'winter over' in Antarctica.

Don't miss Canada's most famous astronaut on-stage at the Appel Salon, presenting the practical lessons he's learned throughout his career on collaboration, teamwork and science and technology. This event is now SOLD OUT. A very limited number of rush seats will be made available on the day of the event.

Throughout its 4.5 billion year history, life on Earth has been threatened by cataclysmic events such as extreme volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts which have caused mass extinction of species. While events like these can drastically alter the face of the Earth, the planet still remains. So what would it take to completely obliterate the Earth? Starting from birth, the evolution of solar systems and the environments they exist in can put planets towards catastrophic fates. In this talk, we will explore some of the incredible ways that nature can destroy planets.

Dr. Roberto Abraham, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto

Presented by John Percy, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Dunlap Institute