Watching a "shooting star" unexpectedly dart across a starry sky is awe inspiring. People will often ask, "What was that?" or "Where did it come from?" Beyond the inevitable "ooohs" and "ahhhs," there is an entire astronomical field devoted to their study. Meteor science is also one of the few remaining fields where amateur astronomers, equipped with only their eyes, can still contribute valuable data to the scientific community. I vividly remember spending a part of my childhood in my backyard

The Dominion Observatory's Historic Telescope, part 2 Surveyor and astronomer, Otto Klotz (1852-1923) envisioned an observatory whose function in Canada mirrored that of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, but with a supporting role for surveyors. The result was the founding of the Dominion Observatory with William Frederick King (1854-1916), the Chief Astronomer, as its first Director. The Observatory’s primary function was to mark the primary longitude for Canada and the determination and

Foreword This Collection Profile was originally written in 2005 by Dr. Brooks to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Dominion Observatory . It will be released weekly as a four-part series of articles. The Observatory remains a notable landmark on the grounds of the Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site of Canada , a short walk down the street from the Canada Agricultural and Food Museum in Ottawa. The 15-inch equatorial telescope remained the primary instrument there from 1905

What happened to the Moon on January 31, 2018? Click the button to see the full-sized infographic.

Two streams of astronomical thought and practice are represented in a stunning display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum – but visitors will need to act fast in order to see it. A telescope made by Eustachio Divini – an extremely fragile and valuable artifact which dates back to 1665 – is on international loan for the next six months, after travelling all the way from the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy to Ottawa. The unexpected backdrop to this ornamented artifact – which is regally

Question : Are the stars that I look at in the night sky already dead? Answer : That’s a great question! I get this question often, and what I love about it is the person asking can feel the immensity of the Universe. The question is rooted in the feeling that the stars are at such incredible distances that in the time it takes the light to get to our eyes, the star could have already died. A question like that packs in curiosity for, and awe of, the natural world. The answer, well, it depends