Astronomers have discovered nearly 4000 planets beyond our Solar System, but for most of these exoplanets our knowledge is limited to their size and how far they orbit from their stars. The next decade of exoplanet astronomy will expand our understanding of these worlds through characterization of their atmospheres and compositions. If any of these planets have life, will astronomers be able to detect it? Before searching for life on other worlds, we must ask ourselves: would we be able to discover life on the Earth if we observed it from afar?

There’s an endless expanse of wonder right above us. Get a better understanding of it all from Randy Attwood, Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Telescopes will be provided to view the stars, planets, and galaxies above. This four-week course is presented by Earthshine Astronomy and Space Science and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Thursdays from April 4 - April 25, 2019

Quantum physics is the golden child of modern science. It is the basis of our understanding of atoms, radiation, and so much else – from elementary particles and basic forces to the behaviour of materials. But for a century it has also been the problem child of science: it has been plagued by intense disagreements among its inventors, strange paradoxes, and implications that seem like the stuff of fantasy.

Join us for a conversation about weird planets, the search for life in the universe, and how the language of science can help tell stories about human relationships.

Full-day workshop hosted by the Dunlap Institute at the University of Toronto

Watch the livestream here: https://livestream.com/itmsstudio/events/8636855

Prof. Anny Cazenave: Climate Change, Ocean Warming, Land Ice Melt and Sea Level RiseProf. Donna Strickland: Generating High-Intensity Ultrashort Optical Pulses

Pulsars, born after the splendid explosion of massive stars, are the most compact objects in the visible universe. Sitting on Earth, we receive regular pulses of light from pulsars. The accuracy of the period between pulses can sometimes rival that of an atomic clock. Pulsar studies have won two Nobel prizes: one for their discovery, and one for the first indirect evidence of gravitational waves. In this talk, Dongzi Li will explain how the compact nature and the excellent periodicity of pulses help make previously difficult studies feasible.

Explore the universe with members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Telescopes will be set up to provide amazing views of the Moon, the planets and more! (Rain date is May 15th).

Join poet Laboni Islam for a special tour of The Moon: A Voyage Through Time, an exhibition that looks at the moon through the lens of art, science, and spirituality.