Since the discovery of the first exoplanets in the early 1990s, we have detected more than 4,000 worlds beyond our solar system. Many of these are similar in size to our Earth, leading to an obvious question: could any be habitable? For now, we typically only know the size and orbit of these planets, but nothing about their surface conditions. Although we cannot know for sure if these worlds could support life, we can use models to speculate on what we might find there.

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!

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.

This Islamic Heritage Month, join us and welcome Dr. Mubdi Rahman, a research scientist with the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Hey stargazers! Ever wonder how astronomers study the history of galaxies? If so, join ASX at our Star Talk on Wednesday, October 30, in Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories (LM), Room 161. Professor Jeremy Webb will be illuminating the nature of globular clusters, and how we can use them to better understand galaxies! The free, public lecture itself is from 7:00pm-8:00pm followed, weather permitting, by a free, public telescope viewing atop MP. Everyone is welcome!

In his new book An Earthling's Guide to Outer Space, beloved science commentator Bob McDonald takes us on a tour of our galaxy, unraveling the mysteries of the universe and helping us navigate our place among the stars. If you’re pondering how to become an astronaut, or what dark matter really is, or how an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, look no further. Through a captivating mix of stories, experiments, and illustrations, McDonald walks us through space exploration past and present, and reveals what we can look forward to in the future.

Bob McDonald has been the host of CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks since 1992. He is a regular science commentator on CBC News Network and science correspondent for CBC TV's The National. Hear him discuss his new book, An Earthling's Guide to Outer Space.

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.

Families will be introduced to the wonders of astronomy through a presentation on a variety of exciting astronomy topics, followed by age-appropriate celestial activities and a demonstration of the 74" telescope. If the sky is clear the dome will be opened and the telescope pointed to an interesting celestial object for the visitors to view. All participating family members must be registered and any participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a registered adult.

After five years at the helm, Randy Attwood has announced that he will step down as the Executive Director of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. To celebrate Randy’s tenure, we are hosting an open house on October 26th.

Watch the recorded video: https://youtu.be/q353hzMM9E4

Albert Einstein predicted a century ago the existence of gravitational waves – ripples in the fabric of spacetime moving at the speed of light. It was believed that these ripples were so faint that no experiment would ever be precise enough to detect them. But in September 2015, LIGO did exactly that. The teams working with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors in Louisiana and Washington measured a loud gravitational wave signal as it traveled through the Earth after a billion-year journey from the violent merger of two black holes.