Event Information
Public Events
Most public events consist of open houses at the Cronyn Observatory on the UWO campus (for more information, click here). In the Fall and Winter Terms, open houses occur on the last Saturday of the month while school is in session. The program includes guided observing through the 25 cm refractor telescope, as well as additional telescopes operated by Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, London Centre members, and a short public lecture (approximately 20-25 minutes and offered at several times throughout the evening).
The dates for the Winter 2012 Term Cronyn Observatory Open Houses are:
- January 28th
- February 25th
- March 31st
- April 28th
Special public events at the observatory may also be scheduled from time to time. Please see the calendar on our homepage as well as the Department of Physics and Astronomy Community Outreach page for more information on these and other events outside the observatory.
Private Events
Private events are scheduled with Exploring the Stars team members to be a more one-on-one experience. These events also include a lecture on a topic chosen by the group, guided observing, and may also include an activity or demonstration appropriate to the level and goals of the group. Please note that these events are not limited only to students and youth organizations; we welcome bookings from corporate and private adult groups in addition to primary and secondary school classes, boy scout and girl guide groups, and others.
Private events are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights during the Winter 2012 term from January 10th, 2012 until April 26th, 2012 (note: we do accept event reservations during UWO's Reading Week).
There are a number of prepared presentations available to choose from, and we can scale them to be appropriate to most age groups, however usually no younger than grade 3 students. We are continually adding new presentations and updating old ones, however the ones currently available are (place your cursor over the title for a description):
| The Big Bang | Our Messy Solar System | Constellations |
|---|---|---|
| The Scout/Guide Astronomy Badge | The Earth Moon System | Galaxies |
| Alien Life in the Universe | Mars | The Stuff of Stars |
| Rockets, Spacecraft, and Other Space Junk | Our Solar System | The Life and Times of Stars |
| Telescopes | The X-ray Universe |
In addition, we have several pre-planned educational activities that can be incorporated into a private event. These include (place your cursor over the title for a description):
| Constellations | Crater Experiment | Kitchen Comet |
|---|---|---|
| Solar System Walk | Starry Night | Telescope Kits |
| Discover the Infrared |
To book a private event: please send us the date and start time you would like to reserve, which presentation and/or activity you are interested in, the age/educational level of the group, and any special requests you have. Special requests may include a specific Exploring the Stars instructor (instructor profiles can be found here) or a presentation/activity not listed above. We cannot guarantee that special requests can be honoured, however we will work with you to create the best program possible. We can be reached for bookings via the contact page.