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

Join the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers between 7:00 and 11:00pm on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at the Niagara Gateway Tourism Centre located just off Casablanca in Grimsby. Enjoy views of the crescent moon and perhaps the planets Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Andromeda Galaxy? Maybe. Come out and view through a telescope and see for yourself!!

Tafelmusik's Tafelscene and TSO's TSOUNDCHECK join forces for the third annual 35 & Under movie night, presenting 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Speaker: Prof. Cliff Burgess, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University

Long ago Vincent van Gogh said, “The lamps are burning and the starry sky is over it all.” How times have changed with the emergence of light pollution. Today, bright city lights are burning all over the evening sky outshining the greatest night show on earth to the detriment of future generations. If the starlight storytellers are to disclose the tale of the universe, then the night needs to stay alive. This lecture presentation will examine light pollution from its onset; discuss its consequences, and then outline the proactive measures one can take to curb its effects.

A popular hit in the Doc Soup series, The Last Man on the Moon tells the story of Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan. One of only three men who travelled to the moon twice, Cernan’s second trip in 1972 was NASA’s final lunar mission. Now, more than 40 years later, he is ready to share his epic and deeply personal story. It is a tale of fame and burning ambition set against the spectacular environment of space.

Speaker: Prof. John E. Moores, York University

Human survival depends on planetary settlement. While Mars is the top candidate for hosting human settlers, significant ethical and logistical controversies surround the prospect of sending humans to the Red Planet. ASX has assembled a team of experts to examine those questions. Is there an ethical way to put humans on Mars? Can we search for Martian life without harming it? Are there any contemporary projects that could feasibly send humans to Mars? If not, when will we be able to launch a Mars mission? And does Canada have a role in the future of space travel and planetary settlement?

Prof. Katherine Freese, Department of Physics, University of Michigan The ordinary atoms that make up the known universe, from our bodies and the air we breathe to the planets and stars, constitute only 5 percent of all matter and energy in the cosmos. The remaining 95 percent is a recipe of 25 percent dark matter and 70 percent dark energy, both nonluminous components whose nature remains a mystery.

We all love it when a world record is broken. But the records set here on Earth are puny and pathetic compared to those set elsewhere in our vast cosmos. What’s the coldest place in space? What’s the fastest object in the Universe? What’s the biggest object we’ve ever seen in space, and the smallest? How weak and how strong does gravity get? Join astronomer Bryan Gaensler for a tour of the extremes of our amazing Universe.