Stars are distant suns. Like our sun, they are born in interstellar clouds of gas and dust, and live long and relatively uneventful lives. In death, sun-like stars swell up into “red giants,” and cast off their outer layers into space, revealing a “white dwarf” core, a million times denser than water. Rare, massive stars die even more spectacularly, exploding as super-novas, and leaving “neutron stars” or “black holes behind. We owe our existence to star life and star death!

We’ll take a tour, from our own backyard out to the edge of the observable Universe using real photographs and images from amateur and professional astronomers, as well as space-borne telescopes. With Chris Vaughan (aka @astrogeoguy), we’ll take time to appreciate the beauty of the images and learn some fascinating science behind each of them. The Aurorae, the Sun, mighty Jupiter and beautiful Saturn, the most beautiful parts of our own galaxy, and our distant neighbours will be delights for the eyes.

Prof. Roberto Abraham, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto

Speaker: Prof. Cliff Burgess, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University

Long ago Vincent van Gogh said, “The lamps are burning and the starry sky is over it all.” How times have changed with the emergence of light pollution. Today, bright city lights are burning all over the evening sky outshining the greatest night show on earth to the detriment of future generations. If the starlight storytellers are to disclose the tale of the universe, then the night needs to stay alive. This lecture presentation will examine light pollution from its onset; discuss its consequences, and then outline the proactive measures one can take to curb its effects.

Speaker: Prof. John E. Moores, York University

Human survival depends on planetary settlement. While Mars is the top candidate for hosting human settlers, significant ethical and logistical controversies surround the prospect of sending humans to the Red Planet. ASX has assembled a team of experts to examine those questions. Is there an ethical way to put humans on Mars? Can we search for Martian life without harming it? Are there any contemporary projects that could feasibly send humans to Mars? If not, when will we be able to launch a Mars mission? And does Canada have a role in the future of space travel and planetary settlement?

Prof. Katherine Freese, Department of Physics, University of Michigan The ordinary atoms that make up the known universe, from our bodies and the air we breathe to the planets and stars, constitute only 5 percent of all matter and energy in the cosmos. The remaining 95 percent is a recipe of 25 percent dark matter and 70 percent dark energy, both nonluminous components whose nature remains a mystery.

We all love it when a world record is broken. But the records set here on Earth are puny and pathetic compared to those set elsewhere in our vast cosmos. What’s the coldest place in space? What’s the fastest object in the Universe? What’s the biggest object we’ve ever seen in space, and the smallest? How weak and how strong does gravity get? Join astronomer Bryan Gaensler for a tour of the extremes of our amazing Universe.

Speaker: Michael Watson, RASC (Unattached)