First, 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. Next, 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. Rain date: Wednesday July 29, 2020

Shortly after the big bang, the universe was a cold, dark place, barely recognizable to those of us used to seeing beautiful telescope images of a sky filled with brilliant lights.

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. Check our homepage for GO/NO-GO calls as this event is weather dependent.

Are you interested in learning how to navigate the night sky? Do you have a telescope or pair of binoculars and not sure how to use them to their full potential?

Watch the recorded video: https://youtu.be/tpgioCuuks8

NASA’s newest rover Perseverance launches July 30. Ahead of the big day, join planetary scientists Sara Mazrouei and Tanya Harrison on Wednesday, July 15 at 2 p.m. for a Facebook Live event all about the Red Planet. Why are we so fascinated with Mars? Sara and Tanya discuss Perseverance’s astrobiology mission—from launching to landing to collecting Martian samples—and other upcoming missions to explore Mars.

The colourful stars and galaxies that we can see with our eyes and traditional telescopes are only a small portion of the light coming from the sky. What constitutes that ‘invisible’ light that our eyes cannot see, how do we observe it, and what can it tell us? Discover radio astronomy, an exciting area of research that complements observations of the visible Universe, and allows us to dive deep into the cosmos. Join Vincent McKay on our next episode of Cosmos From Your Couch, on Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00pm EDT!

The best objects of all types to see in the summer months, using unaided eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. We'll give you some tips on using nebula filters, and dive into some history about Scorpius and Sagittarius!

Ever wonder what that bright object is in the night sky? From dying stars to shooting stars, there are many astronomical phenomena which have long inspired curiosity, fear, and awe.

Over 4000 exoplanets have been discovered to date—but what do we really know about them, and how do we know it? Join Emily Deibert in exploring the main methods and missions that have been used to discover the diverse population of exoplanets throughout our Galaxy, and learn about some of the most extraordinary exoplanets we've found so far. She will also discuss how astronomers are starting to learn about what conditions on these exoplanets might be like, and highlight some of the advances we hope to make in the field over the next few years.

Join us at the Ontario Science Centre for our monthly Solar Observing on the TELUSCAPE.

The collections of moons that orbit our giant planets are very like miniature planetary systems, each with their own dramatic history. In her presentation Christa Van Laerhoven will talk about the various moons of the solar system and how they have been shaped by orbital shenanigans with their fellow moons and their host planet.