Join us as Dr. John Percy discusses how and why astronomy was important to early civilizations ranging from the seagoing Polynesians, to the builders of Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids, to our own First Nations. He will also briefly discuss the important roles of Chinese, Indian, and Islamic astronomy.

Everyone is invited to join us and Durham Skies on September 30 for stargazing at the edge of Lake Ontario. Take a free look through different kinds of telescopes to get close-up views of craters on the Moon and spectacular Saturn and its rings! Learn the names of the stars of autumn and the constellation patterns they form. 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 advice on how to use it better.

Fiscal year end of the RASC Toronto Centre.

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!

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.

Speaker: Dr. Jill Tarter, Bernard Oliver Chair, SETI Institute Are we alone in the universe? Is there intelligent life in space? Humans have been asking these questions throughout history. We want to know where we came from, how we fit into the cosmos and where we are going. Searching for life beyond Earth may not only result in contact, but could also lead to a better understanding ourselves. What will life in the future look like?

Speaker: Professor Jo Bovy, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Galactic Astrophysics in the Astronomy & Astrophysics Department of the University of Toronto

Explore the universe with members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Telescopes will be set up to give you amazing views of our Moon, the planets and more!

Join Ian Wheelband of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada for a talk on Astronomy. If the weather permits, there will be an opportunity to look through a telescope and view the evening sky.

Hover above the moon like an astronaut and get eye-to-eye with the planets. Find colourful stars, star clusters, bright nebulae and even another galaxy. Our monthly City Star Party is the place to catch universe from within the city limits at Bayview Village Park. If you don't have a telescope then you will find many astronomers who would love to share a view. If you are thinking of buying a telescope, viewing with other people's equipment is the best way to make a good choice. If you have a telescope or binoculars, please bring it!

Solar System Social (@SolarSystemTO) is a space-themed speaker series that brings exciting ideas and research from the field of planetary science to the general public in the form of short, informative, and interesting talks that last about 20 minutes each.

Get an up-close and personal take on the Gravitational Waves discovery that has changed science for the better. Considered the most influential discovery of the century, gravitational wave GW150914 broke records in physics, astronomy, and interferometry - with still more to come. We will talk about what went into the Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO) that discovered GW150914 from theoretical, engineering, and computer simulation viewpoints, and discuss the outlooks on the future of gravitational wave astronomy.