RASC Toronto | Astronomy and space events, observing the night sky from Toronto, GTA and Southern Ontario

Video: The Sky This Month for November 11 - December 9, 2020

Denis Grey takes us through this coming month's astronomy highlights, bringing attention to one of his special interest in astronomy; that is, an excellent occultation happening in the upcoming month.

Recreational Astronomy Night (ONLINE)

Wednesday, December 9, 2020 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Join us for our monthly recreational astronomy night meeting. This is where our members get to show their latest projects or give tutorials and tips on just about everything to do with astronomy.

DDO: Ask an Astronomer (ONLINE)

Sunday, December 20, 2020 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Join us, from the comfort of your home! Join science writer, astronomer, geophysicist, planetary scientist and RASC member Chris Vaughan in exploring the night sky!

DDO: Telescope Clinic (at Oak Ridges Community Centre)

Saturday, January 9, 2021 - 1:00pm to 3:00pm

Just got a new ‘scope?' Already had one for years that’s been collecting dust? The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is hosting a telescope clinic to help you get started.

DDO: Observe the Sky (at Oak Ridges Community Centre)

Saturday, January 23, 2021 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Learn what’s up in the sky tonight and dress warmly to join us outside to safely view the night sky with the help of our astronomers with their telescopes.

Artist’s impression of a fast radio burst traveling through space and reaching Earth, Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

RCIScience: Strange Signals: Fast Radio Bursts

Sunday, February 28, 2021 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm

Astronomy is a science of eons. In the cosmos, things change over millions or billions of years. Most transient events in the sky are due to happenings in our own solar system.

Stellarium Training Series

For RASC members, we offer computer software training on Stellarium. It is a popular and powerful planetarium application available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux computers. The full software for computers is free.

Space Place Canada: Canada and the Final Frontier: Looking Back with Randy Attwood (ONLINE)

Thursday, November 26, 2020 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Watch the recorded video: https://youtu.be/v-5XdAWJGKw

Speaker's Night and Annual Meeting: How to Make Gold (Astrophysically Speaking) (ONLINE)

Wednesday, November 25, 2020 - 7:30pm to 10:30pm

Watch the recorded video: https://youtu.be/CuBXhqVPoNg

RASC National Society Videos: The Insider's Guide to the Galaxy

Join us online to learn basic astronomy that you can do on your own from your backyard! We'll be hosting introductory astronomy courses on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00pm EDT.

RASC National Society Video: The Stars Belong to Everyone: Gender and Sexual Diversity in Astronomy

The RASC Inclusivity and Diversity Committee presents a profile of gender-diverse members of the astronomy and astrophysics communities.

Recreational Astronomy Night (ONLINE) - Rescheduled to Nov. 12

Thursday, November 12, 2020 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Watch the recorded video: https://youtu.be/wopmFrGqBwY

Video: DDO Astronomy Night: Unravelling the Mysterious Fast Radio Burst with CHIME

Dr. Cherry Ng is a post-doctoral researcher at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics. During her PhD study, she discovered 60 rapidly-spinning neutron stars with the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia.

Ontario Science Centre Video: Halloween Virtual Star Party

Are you ready to be bewitched? Join us for spellbinding stargazing at our Halloween Virtual Star Party! For the first time since 1944, a full Moon will light the Halloween sky.

RASC National Society Videos: Explore the Universe

Join us online as we Explore the Universe together! We'll be hosting sessions every other Thursday from 3:30-4:30pm EDT.

Video: Water, water everywhere? with Paul Delaney

Our understanding of our own solar system has changed significantly since the advent of spacecraft exploration. Water was once believed very scarce in our corner of the galaxy but we now realize this is not the case.

Recreational Astronomy Night (ONLINE)

Wednesday, October 14, 2020 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Watch the recorded video: https://youtu.be/bfJ-1ofwVFQ

RASC National Society Videos: Self-Isolation Star Parties

Do you miss those wonderful Star Parties hosted by RASC, where you get to look at the night sky and learn about what's up there? We do too! That's why we're hosting online star parties!

Video: DDO Mars Madness: Deciphering Mars - Dr. Bhairavi Shankar

What is Mars really like? Join Dr. Bhairavi Shankar in uncovering the surface of the red planet from mountains and volcanoes to valleys and ancient oceans.

Video: DDO Mars Madness: Live Views of the Mars Opposition 2020 - Rick Foster

Discover how a live view of Mars through a telescope looks during Mars Opposition 2020! RASC member Rick Foster talks about observing and processing his images from October 9.

Video: DDO Mars Madness: Live Views of the Mars Opposition 2020 - Claudio Oriani

Discover how a live view of Mars through a telescope looks during Mars Opposition 2020! RASC member Claudio Oriani talks about observing and processing his images from October 5.

Video: DDO Mars Madness: An Astronomer's Guide to Mars with Chris Vaughan

Where's Mars in our night sky? What does Mars Opposition even mean?

Video: DDO Mars Madness: Decolonizing Mars Exploration: An Indigenous Perspective from Dr. Hilding Neilson

Going to Mars has been the dream since the 1950s. Now, it's romanticized as the next "frontier" of space exploration. But Mi’kmaw astronomer, Dr. Hilding Neilson, challenges us to reframe and decolonize how we think about our relationship with space and Mars.

Video: The Stars Belong to Everyone: Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in Astronomy

Join us as we discuss expanding diversity and inclusion in astronomy in Canada with panelists Dr. Sarah Gallagher, Dr. Sara Mazrouei, Nicole Mortillaro and Dr. Hilding Neilson.

Speaker's Night: How to Destroy a Planet (ONLINE)

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - 7:30pm to 9:00pm

Watch the recorded video: https://youtu.be/vaYABVy45m4

popular astronomy book recommendations

On September 16, 2020, during the Recreational Astronomy Night for the Toronto Centre, Joel Dick showed his bookshelf and provided 30 (plus) popular astronomy book recommendations.