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.

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.

Half of all stars in the night sky are actually in pairs or “binaries.” That is, instead of a single star like our Sun, these systems have two stars orbiting each other. Planets in these systems could have twice as many sunrises and sunsets. There could be twice as many solar systems to explore, double the habitable zones and, therefore, more opportunities for life to form! Is this really the case? Life here on Earth fundamentally relies upon the Sun’s (relatively) stable and quiet nature. Binaries, on the other hand, are sometimes found to exchange mass and more often explode!

Prof. Victoria Kaspi, Department of Physics, McGill University Neutron stars are a celestial gift to scientists. These incredibly dense collapsed stars act as very precise cosmic beacons that help shed light on some of the most challenging problems in modern physics. In her Feb. 3 talk at Perimeter Institute, astrophysicist Victoria Kaspi will explore these strange objects, explain how astronomers are using them to study issues ranging from the origins of the universe to the very nature of matter, and even let the audience hear the cosmic symphony they create.

Astronomer Christa Van Laerhoven describes how the planets in our solar system formed and migrated. Some of them started off very far from their current orbits. Presented in collaboration with the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

See for details http://www.rascto.ca/content/nova-astronomy-course-

Measuring light pollution of your sky, see www.globeatnight.org

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.

Showtimes: 1:00pm, 2:00pm, and 3:00pm 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.

This is the 13th annual symposium organized by ASX and this year we'll be asking "is this science or fiction?" about topics from aliens to cosmology. We are also pleased to announce that Justin Trottier, the co-founder of ASX, will be our MC for this event. Come join us for an exciting night! We are honored to be featuring Professor Fred Adams, cosmologist at the University of Michigan and co-author of “The Five Ages of the Universe,” Professor Lynn Rothschild of the NASA AMES Research Centre and Brian Trent, science fiction writer and author of “The Nightmare Lights of Mars.”

The universe is very large and all of it is very far away. Even the edge of the solar system is inexplicably far away. Learn how we have used telescopes and space missions to understand our solar system and universe beyond it. With Jielai Zhang. 3rd floor, Room B.

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.