The moon is between us and the sun. Without the moon in the sky at night, deep sky objects are easier to observe.

It has been a little over 20 years that we know there are planets around other stars and 10 years that we know there are solid planets around other stars with the first super-Earth discovered: GJ876d. In the last few years, we have also learned that super-Earths and mini-Neptunes are the most common planet in the galaxy, improving our chances to find another habitable planet. To study these planets, we base our knowledge on what we have learned about the Earth and our planet neighbours, and test these ideas on these new and sometimes exotic planets. Dr.

Imagine viewing the leftover light from the Big Bang while stationed at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. Professor Keith Vanderlinde from the University of Toronto has done just that. Professor Vanderlinde will talk about his work with the 10m South Pole Telescope, and the science that convinced him to undertake an eleven-month "winterover" position working on-location with the telescope. Presented as part of Science Literacy Week.

Pluto has always been the favourite of many who have cast their thoughts out to the stars and planets. More than that though, it has played a key role in our understanding of how our solar system is formed and it may be the key to further exploration of our neighbourhood of space. In this richly illustrated presentation we explore its history, our recent discoveries and how it may lead us to one of the greatest astronomical discoveries of the 21st century.

Fossils show us that millions of years ago giant reptiles roamed the Earth. Yet, where are they now?

Showtimes: 7:00pm, 8:00pm, and 9:00pm In 1977 two small probes, Voyager 1 and 2, were launched from Earth with a mission to study the outer solar system. Both spacecraft visited Jupiter and Saturn, and Voyager 2 passed by Uranus and Neptune, returning images to Earth which allowed us to make surprising discoveries about these distant planets. Now these probes are entering interstellar space, making them the furthest man-made objects from the Earth!

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Nerd Nite is back! Sam and Erez are thrilled to present the first nite of the 2017-18 season: Spaced and Confused: A Hypnotic Journey! Be there and be square! Presentation 1: “Mind Games: Hypnosis & Subconscious Success” By Brandon Dean, Certified Consulting Hypnotist & Hypnotherapist, Certified Smoking Cessation Specialist, Subconscious Success Coach, Certified Professional Stage Hypnotist

Have you ever wondered whether we're alone in the cosmos? For thousands of years, we have only been able to speculate. Now, astronomers searching for planets capable of supporting life are making daily progress toward answering this incredibly compelling question. Join me for a non-technical explanation of the science behind the search for Earth-like planets and a summary of the latest results. Presented by: Dr. Michael Reid - Associate Professor of Astronomy from the University of Toronto.

Join us for our monthly recreational astronomy night meeting. This is where our members get to show their latest projects, or give tutorials and tips on just about everything to do with Astronomy. Talks start at 7:30, socializing starts at 7:00.

Join us at the Ontario Science Centre for our monthly Solar Observing on the TELUSCAPE observing pad. This is the area in front of the Science Centre's entrance. We use specialized telescopes that are safe to aim at the Sun. Check our home page on the Friday prior for go/no-go calls as this event is weather dependent.

We’ve all heard about ground-based telescopes and space telescopes, but what about telescopes that are flown on balloons? What do they do? How do they work? Why do we use them? In this lecture, Rachel Domagalski will talk about the history of balloon astronomy, as well as some of the science that’s come from balloon telescopes. She will also talk about the development of two very different balloon telescopes, SPIDER and SuperBIT, that’s taking place right here in Toronto.