On this date, public star parties will be held across the country in honour of the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. Join us at the Ontario Science Centre as we unite under one sky and celebrate Canadian contributions to astronomy with telescope observing*, storytelling, live astronomy and space-themed demonstrations, and hands-on activities.  *Telescope observing is weather permitting. In the event of poor weather, star party activities will proceed on the Carlton Cards Mezzanine.

Showtimes: 7:00pm, 8:00pm, and 9:00pm Often, when we think of the Solar System, we think of the planets and the Sun and nothing more. But what about all the other stuff? There are millions of asteroids in the asteroid belt, tens of millions of objects in the Kuiper belt, and probably trillions of objects in the Oort cloud—not to mention the hundreds of moons and dozens of dwarf planets that are members of the Sun’s extended family.

Everyone is invited to join us and Durham Skies on July 28 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 summer 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.

See the milky way and galaxies with the unaided eye. Point your telescope to find the many dim deep space objects that sprinkle the sky. Away from Toronto's light polution, there is so much to see. We observe from the Long Sault Conservation area, an hour outside of Toronto. We meet around dusk once a month in the parking lot for views only seen in dark sky conditions. We hold this event on the first clear night of our week-long window, so the date and time are determined closer to.

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

How common is life in the universe? Is there other intelligent life? For over 50 years, astronomers have been conducting the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). These searches have primarily been focused at radio wavelengths, but in the last decade astronomers are thinking of new ways to search for extraterrestrial communication. I will give an overview of humanity’s quest in finding extraterrestrial intelligence, as well as future methods and programs that are on the horizon.

Near Osoyoos, British Columbiahttp://www.mksp.ca/

Join us as we recognize Canada's 150th birthday, in this profusely-illustrated and non-technical presentation, where you will discover how Toronto became a "centre of the universe" for astronomical research, education, and public outreach.

Breezy Hill, Springfield, Vermonthttp://stellafane.org/

River Place Park, Aytonhttp://www.nyaa.ca/starfest.html

Receive a detailed introduction to the basics of Astronomy through an indoor presentation. Learn your way around the night sky in an amazing portable planetarium. We'll venture out into the darkness for naked-eye viewing of constellations, more detailed observations with binoculars (provided) and viewing planets and deep-sky objects through telescopes of amateur astronomers.

Watch the YouTube video