Amateur astronomy is a hobby of great diversity. From observing faint galaxies millions of light years away, to CCD astrophotography, to reading the latest magazine at the coffee shop, to comet chasing, tinkering with the latest equatorial mount, radio astronomy, enjoying a planetarium show and everything else in between. But for those who take a keen liking to the hobby – the time and money spent perfecting our craft can be astronomical, and we often lose sight of what it is that makes stargazing so appealing and so important.

This evening’s event has been cancelled due to icy conditions.

Astronomers discovered the first planets outside of our solar system almost thirty years ago, opening up an exciting new field of research in astronomy. In 2002, astronomers discovered an exoplanet for the first time using the transit method. By monitoring the brightness of many stars in the sky at the same time, astronomers could detect the signature of a planet as it passed in front of the star, blocking a small fraction of the star’s light and causing it to dim.

Our most recent generation of cosmology experiments, such as the Planck satellite and observations of distant supernovae, has reduced all of cosmology to the very precise measurement of eight parameters. This relatively simple model seems complete with no hints of additional elements required to explain the entire evolution of the universe from the Big Bang to some far distant future. These recent results include such things as the precise measurement of the contributors to the overall mass–energy density of the universe.

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: 7:00pm, 8:10pm, 9:15pm

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: 6:15pm, 7:30pm The stars in the night sky seem unchanging and eternal, and have remained the same for the history of human civilization. However, over millions and billions of years, new stars are born, live out their long lives, and eventually die in a blaze of glory. In this show, we will be exploring the lives of stars by visiting stellar nurseries, supernova remnants and much more!

Given the poor weather forecast for Wednesday, this event has been postponed until March 13, 2019. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Toronto Centre, invites new members and their family who are also members, to join an orientation get together – First Light 2019.

Given the poor weather forecast for Wednesday, this meeting has been cancelled. 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 7:30pm, socializing at 7:00pm.

What can we learn with humans that the much safer robotic explorers cannot tell us? Is it worth the risk? Is there really any reason to go to Mars other than "because it's there?" Let’s take a realistic look at the challenges of a human expedition to Mars and examine the reality behind the 'hype' of a mission to the Red Planet. Featuring:

It's Time for Space! We’re super-excited to announce our new event series: SpaceTime! SpaceTime is an all-ages, inclusive celebration of astronomy, curiosity, and discovery.