The explosion of a star, or supernova, is one of the most extreme events in the universe, responsible for creating the heavy elements essential for life. The resulting fast moving shock wave, the supernova remnant, produces super high-energy particles called cosmic rays. Understanding the nature of the magnetic fields is crucial to understanding the extreme processes that produce these cosmic rays. This talk will describe Jennifer West's PhD research, which investigates the magnetic fields of supernova remnants and how they are connected to the magnetic field of our Galaxy.

Speaker: Prof. Ue-Li Pen, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics The Algonquin Radio Observatory (ARO), built in 1965, along with the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) are the first to achieve long baseline interferometry (VLBI), whereby two single-dish telescopes are combined to provide the same resolution as a telescope the size of Canada.

Speaker: Prof. Suresh Sivanandam, Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics

This talk will focus on the past, present, and future of big data in astronomy.

In Toronto, the Commercial Space Blog will be sponsoring a Yuri's Night Party at the Polish Combatants' Hall.

The day after the anniversary of the first human in space (often called Yuri’s Night after the Russian who accomplished the feat) you might be suffering from a bit of space withdrawal sickness. Have no fear – The Planetary Society and STEAMLabs are teaming up to give you another dose of space by putting you at the controls!

Solar System Social is a speaker series about planetary science which is geared to the general public. This event features Jordan Bimm (former NASA fellow in the History of Space Science) and David Hamilton (former NSERC fellow in Technologies and Techniques for Earth and Space Exploration). Respectively, their talks are titled " Putting Mars in a Jar: The Military Origin of Astrobiology" and "What can we learn from lasers on Mars?" Doors at 6:00pm, Show at 6:30pm

On the weekend of April 28-30, 2017, developers, makers, engineers and entrepreneurs will take on NASA-designed challenges, creating solutions that range from silly to serious, fantastical to feasible. Build a team, pick a challenge, and leverage your access to an extraordinary roster of mentors featuring past and present astronauts, aerospace engineers, and designers.

Join us as we celebrate International Astronomy Day with a fun-filled day – and night – of exciting programs and experiences for visitors of all ages.

More than a billion years ago, two black holes collided. In the final second of their long life together, the black holes banged out a rhythm like mallets on a drum, creating gravitational waves – ripples in the shape of spacetime. One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of such waves, though it seemed improbable – if not outright impossible – that we’d ever be able to actually detect them. They were long considered too faint for any earthbound experiment to measure.