The Department of Physics invites faculty, students and the public to its 42nd annual celebration of physics. The Welsh Lectures in Physics have been held annually since 1975 in honour of H.L. Welsh, a distinguished former faculty member in the Physics Department. They are the major public event in the life of the Department of Physics and are intended to celebrate discoveries in physics and their wider impact. They are intended to be broadly accessible to an audience drawn from across the university, other academic institutions and the interested public.

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!

More than a billion years ago, two black holes collided. In the final second of their long life together, the black holes banged out a rhythm like mallets on a drum, creating gravitational waves – ripples in the shape of spacetime. One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of such waves, though it seemed improbable – if not outright impossible – that we’d ever be able to actually detect them. They were long considered too faint for any earthbound experiment to measure.

Dr. John Percy will take you on an illustrated, guided tour of the universe.

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!

Discover the story behind alien worlds, black holes, dark matter, dark energy, the birth and death of stars, and more! Learn about the wondrous elements of the universe in this fascinating talk from Dr. John Percy, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto in Astronomy & Astrophysics, and in Science Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Professor Keith Vanderlinde talks 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.

Observe the stars via telescope with members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Witness the crescent Moon and Jupiter along with lively activities and demonstrations in this universally enlightening – and free – evening. In the event of inclement weather, Evening Star Party activities will proceed indoors in the Telus Conference Room.

Join us as we celebrate International Astronomy Day with a fun-filled day – and night – of exciting programs and experiences for visitors of all ages.

See http://rasc.ca/astronomy-day, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy_Day

Showtimes: 7:00pm, 8:00pm and 9:00pm

Solar System Social is a speaker series about planetary science which is geared to the general public. This event features Jordan Bimm (former NASA fellow in the History of Space Science) and David Hamilton (former NSERC fellow in Technologies and Techniques for Earth and Space Exploration). Respectively, their talks are titled " Putting Mars in a Jar: The Military Origin of Astrobiology" and "What can we learn from lasers on Mars?" Doors at 6:00pm, Show at 6:30pm