Foreseen by Einstein almost a century ago, gravitational waves were for a long time the last prediction of his theory of general relativity left to be confirmed. Last September, LIGO directly observed these waves being emitted from the merging of two black holes 1.3 billion light-years away. Thus, we opened a new window into the workings of our universe. In this talk, Alex Rachkov will cover what these mysterious waves are, recount the long journey of their discovery and the significance they have for the future of astronomy.

Astronomer Paul Mortfield will be joining the Hamilton Centre at the April meeting to discuss hunting for Exoplanets! Who can attend: EveryoneFee: FreeReservations: Not required Organized by: RASC - Hamilton CentreLocation: Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 551, 79 Hamilton St. N., Waterdown, ON L0R 2H0

Moonless night allowing to see deep sky objects

What may have started as a science fiction speculation—that perhaps the universe as we know it is a computer simulation—has become a serious line of theoretical and experimental investigation among physicists, astrophysicists, and philosophers. On April 5, watch live as host and moderator Neil deGrasse Tyson, Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, and a panel of experts hold a lively discussion about the merits and shortcomings of this provocative and revolutionary idea. 2016 Asimov Panelists:

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.

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.

Speaker: Cordell Grant, University of Toronto Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS-SFL)

http://astronomerswithoutborders.org/global-astronomy-month-2016.html

Showtimes: 7:00pm, 8:00pm, and 9:00pm Centuries before Galileo observed the moons of Jupiter, scientists in the Middle East were building the first cameras and developing the physics of light. Without the benefit of modern technologies, they took some of the first steps in understanding the motions of the planets and in explaining the nature of the Universe.

Over the last twenty years, we have discovered thousands of planets orbiting other stars. We are now in a position to analyse this population statistically, look for trends, and ask whether our Solar System is typical among the galaxy or whether it stands out as unique.

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