Thu, Apr 3 2008 - Tour the U of T Astronomy Observatory (View Original Event Details)
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We were very fortunate- it was a clear night (much better than last year when the TOC attended this event on an overcast day).
The tour began with a lecture on the birth and death of galaxies. We saw photos of living galaxies that are generally oval in shape with lots of colour. Dead galaxies (those without new star formation) are round and generally devoid of colour. Dr. Kevin Bundy then went over theories of how galaxies change shape over time. He ended his talk by answering questions from the audience.
After eating doughnuts and muffins, we all filed up to the observatory to look at the night sky. After the grad students removed all the lens caps on the telescope, we got a chance to see Orion, then Saturn. Orion looked like the bright light the optometrist shines in your eye. Saturn was the only thing you saw in the black sky. To many of us, it looked like a sticker on the end of the telescope. The grad students assured us we were looking at the real thing and not a sticker.
These free tours are presented the first Thursday of every month. We were encouraged to come back at various times of the year, since the sky looks different depending on the season.
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.