Giant molecular clouds are the birthplace of stars and planets; however, the true nature of these clouds remains a great mystery. The first step towards achieving a greater understanding of star formation is exploring the structure and evolution of the clouds in which they form. Learn how powerful supercomputers are used to visualize simulated star-forming clouds to help solve several major unanswered questions in star formation. Astronomy talk presented by Dr. Rachel Ward-Maxwell.

Observational astronomers use telescopes that look at the furthest distances in the Universe to look back in time and trace the growth of structure in the cosmos. Recent multi-wavelength measurements have helped us to constrain the components that make up the Universe and how those components evolve. We now know that most of the Universe is made up of dark matter and dark energy, but the nature of these components remains largely unknown. In this talk Dr.

Everyone is invited to join us and Durham Skies on the evenings of both September 14th and 15th for stargazing at the edge of Lake Ontario. Take a free look through different kinds of telescopes (including solar-filtered scopes) to get close-up looks at sunspots, craters on the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars!  Peer deep into space and try your hand at spotting faint star clusters and nebulae. You can even bring your own telescope along and we'll give you expert advice on how to use it better.

Come see the planets as you’ve never seen them before! On September 15, we’ll celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, with telescopes, planets, and prizes. Starting at 7:30pm, we’ll have telescopes set up to view Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and their moons. This is a rare opportunity to get telescopic views of three planets all in one night. See the moons of Jupiter as Galileo first saw them more than four hundred years ago.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE:  The registration for this event is now full.  We apologize but we cannot accomodate any more participants on site for this event. You must have pre-registered to be able to attend this event.

It's Science Literacy Week! Learn about the Moon by examining its living conditions and possible landing sites. Together you will decide which landing sites would be ideal for the next Moon Mission. Act as scientists and engineers at NASA or the Canadian Space Agency!

Join Ian Wheelband of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada for this engaging presentation, followed by a telescope viewing of the night sky (weather permitting).

Join us for a fascinating Science Literacy Week lecture presented by Dr. Rachael Alexandroff, PhD, an expert on black holes and researcher at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto.

Showtimes: 7:00pm, 8:10pm The stars in the night sky seem unchanging and eternal, and have remained the same for the history of human civilization. However, over millions and billions of years, new stars are born, live out their long lives, and eventually die in a blaze of glory. In this show, we will be exploring the lives of stars by visiting stellar nurseries, supernova remnants and much more!

Showtimes: 7:00pm, 8:10pm, 9:15pm