Activities
Presentations
Contact Us
Schedule
Welcome!
Now is the time to register for dates for the Winter 2010 term! There are many dates available from Jan 5th to April 22nd. Book soon they go fast!
Notes:
Registration for the 2009/2010 season is open! Please see the contact page for more information. This year we are introducing feedback forms for our presenters to fill out. This is to ensure that the most deserving groups are the ones we invite back year after year, and so that we have a written log of the night. A sample form can be found here.
Exploring the Stars is the new astronomy outreach program at The University of Western Ontario! We got a fantastic face-lift for thanks to funding from an NSERC PromoScience Grant, and in our first two years we have reached approximately 2500 participants!
With the help of volunteers from the London Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), we are able to offer public group nights three times a week. These events can include hands-on activities, demonstrations, presentations, astronomy software tutorials, and observing through the Cronyn Observatory's 25 cm refractor telescope.
All kinds of groups will enjoy these activities! In the past we have had Scouts/Girl Guides, home-school groups, church groups, adult groups, nature clubs, and school classes. Please look at our activity and presentation lists to see what we offer (we will be adding to this continually).
Registration Info
Registration for the 2009/10 season of Exploring the Stars program will be open on August 1st, 2009.
The events will happen on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings this year and generally last 1.5-2 hours long depending on the weather. The Fall semester will start October 21st and run through December 11th. Events between October 21st and October 30th must begin at 7pm, while events after October 30th can begin anytime between 6pm and 7pm.
The Winter semester will run from January 4th through until April 23rd, with a break from February 15th - 19th. Events between January 4th and March 4th can start anytime between 6pm and 7pm, but events after March 4th must start at 7pm.
Open Houses
80th Brownies enjoying the view! For those that cannot get a large group together to book an evening, there will be a few open houses throughout the year! These are free events open to the public, and there is no need to register. Each night will begin with a short slide show presentation, with the rest of the evening being dedicated to looking at/through the telescope(s). Here are the dates:
Saturday, November 28th, from 7-9pm
Saturday, January 30st, from 7-9pm
Saturday, February 27th, from 7-9pm
Saturday, March 27th, from 7-9pm
Friday, April 23rd, from 7-10pm - Kid's First Day
International Year of Astronomy - 2009
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) - the 400th anniversary of when Galileo pointed his telescope up to the heavens and observed Jupiter's moons and Saturn's rings for the first time!
To celebrate this event, Exploring the Stars, the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Western, and the London chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be hosting events throughout the whole year.
For more information on events around London, check out the website: iya2009.uwo.ca.
