Sampa Bhadra, Ph.D., Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University

Exploring Our Own Backyard: A Voyage Through the Solar System

What and Where are Dark Matter and Dark Energy? Dark matter and dark energy make up about 95% of the contents of the universe.  But what are they?  And where are they?  If they make up so much of the universe, how did we miss them for so long? Image: Gravity of Galaxy Cluster Abell 2218 Creates Giant Lens 

Our Cosmic Address Come visit the planetarium located at 50 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy, Virgo Supercluster, The Universe. We will explore Earth’s place in the universe, starting with our view of the night sky from here in Toronto and culminating in a view of the large-scale structure of the universe. Along the way, we’ll visit some celestial neighbours, both near and far!

This is the 11th annual symposium organized by ASX. This event aims to educate the public on some aspects of cosmology, and encourage students and the public to get informed and involved in the exciting projects and discoveries in cosmology. In the past, the symposium has featured famous astronauts, numerous top researchers, and leaders in the space industry. Previously, this annual event had attracted more than 600 audience members. ASX is featuring:

Last year we introduced Soapbox Science to North America and we couldn’t be more excited for this year’s Toronto event! Our organizing team is preparing for another fabulous day in September at Toronto’s Word on the Street Festival. What better way to promote science in the streets than at a literacy street festival? Last year we engaged hundreds of families along Toronto’s Harbourfront; they were surprised and delighted to have the chance to meet our scientists in person and learn about their research.

In this talk and slide show, Michael Watson will discuss his recent month-long trip to Australia, which included several nights of stargazing and astrophotography from the dark skies of the Australian Outback. He will talk about how he prepared for the trip, the equipment that he took, and how he produced the photos that you will see. His astrophotos will be interspersed with photos of some of the sights from around the Land Down Under.

Dr. Avery Broderick will provide a highly accessible and interesting lecture on the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and international efforts to interpret horizon-resolving images of numerous supermassive black holes.

The South Pole, one of Earth’s most isolated outposts, is alive with science. And it's here where you'll find the 10-metre South Pole Telescope (SPT) observing the oldest light in our Universe, the Cosmic Microwave Background—light emitted just after the Big Bang. In 2016, a next-generation microwave camera, SPT-3G, was installed on the telescope. This camera is allowing astronomers to map out the Cosmic Microwave Background in more detail than ever before, providing new information on clusters of galaxies, cosmic inflation, and particle physics. 

Every day, as many as 1,000 extremely fast and powerful bursts of radio waves flash out of the sky from beyond our galaxy, and we know very little about them. Join Victoria Kaspi, Director of CIFAR’s Gravity & the Extreme Universe program, as she explains what we know, and describes a revolutionary new Canadian radio telescope that will soon help us solve the puzzle. Doors open at 6:30pm.