In a world of ever larger and more expensive telescopes, amateur astronomers often pass over the wonder above them that can only be seen with the most complex yet readily available optical instrument of them all – the unaided eye. From comets to crepuscular rays and from the northern lights to noctilucent clouds, there is an entire universe waiting, both literally and figuratively before your eyes.

Showtimes: 7:00pm and 8:00pm In recent years with the launch of the Kepler Space Telescope and improvement in planet detection techniques there has been an explosion in the number of planets discovered outside our solar system. For the first time ever we are able to explore questions such as “are there any habitable planets out there?”, and “where should we look for life?”. This planetarium show will explain where the best chances currently lie for finding life elsewhere in the universe and highlight some of the noteworthy exoplanets discovered to date.

Kendrick Smith, Cosmologist, Perimeter Institute Revolutionary progress has been achieved in the science of cosmology over the past 30 years. Powerful experiments, made possible by new technologies, have transformed our understanding of the universe. We have unveiled the laws of physics that govern time and space on the grandest scales, from the big bang to present day.

Speaker: Michael Watson, RASC (Unattached)

Speaker: Keith Jarvie, Ph.D., Mississauga Centre RASC

Ralf Gellert, PhD, Department of Physics, University of Guelph Thanks to NASA’s Mars Rovers, we know much more about our planetary neighbour than we did a decade ago. Controlled from Earth, experiments conducted by the Rover instruments reveal that Mars was once a more habitable place. A key instrument on all 4 Mars Rovers and also on the Rosetta mission lander, Philae, is the Canadian APXS experiment, a soda-can sized device that measures the composition of rocks and soils. Co-Sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Toronto Centre.

In November 2014, the world witnessed the first time man landed a spacecraft on a comet. How did we get there? What will we learn? Highlights from one of the most exotic places ever visited with Sebastian Daemgen. What's Out There? Lectures in Astronomy presented in collaboration with the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics.

This is an adaptation of a successful planetarium show which Damien Robertson ran while at McMaster. The show focuses on a ‘recap’ of the life of Betelgeuse as it inches closer towards supernova and explores star formation, evolution and death. He’ll also talk about how planet formation is an intrinsic process in star formation as well. He’ll modify the talk to include more observational details and current images.

Dr. Rachel Friesen explains how stars and solar systems form and how astronomers peer into their birth sites using telescopes on earth and in space.

Hear talks by three of the world's leading astrophysicists as they explore the astronomy and physics of the origin, life and ultimate fate of stars. Learn about white dwarves, supernovae, gravitational waves, neutrinos, high-energy observatories, and more.