Astronomy & Space Exploration Society

August 2019 Picture of the Month

This picture is an original photograph of the Perseid meteor shower taken by ASX Chief Graphic Designer Hansen Jiang. The photo was created by superimposing two separate pictures of meteors onto each other, which is why two streaks of light can be seen.

May 2019: Picture of the Month

On May 11th, ASX participated in Science Rendezvous, along with many other science departments and organizations at U of T to bring science out of the lab and onto the street. As per tradition, execs donned ceremonial ASX garb, including space suits and cosmic squid hats.

May 2018: Picture of the Month

Why is there a large boulder near the center of Tycho's peak?
Tycho crater on the Moon is one of the easiest features to see, visible even to the unaided eye (inset, lower right).
But at the center of Tycho (inset, upper left) is a something unusual -- a 120-meter boulder.

April 2018: Picture of the Month

From our vantage point in the Milky Way Galaxy, we see NGC 3344 face-on. Nearly 40,000 light-years across, the big, beautiful spiral galaxy is located just 20 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo Minor.
This multi-color Hubble Space Telescope close-up of NGC 3344 includes remarkable details from near infrared to ultraviolet wavelengths.

March 2018: Picture of the Month

Colourful star trails arc through the night in this wide-angle mountain and skyscape.
From a rotating planet, the digitally added consecutive exposures were made with a camera fixed to a tripod and looking south, over northern Iran's Alborz Mountain range.

Graduate Student Panel – Methods of Modern Astronomy

Location: Cody Hall (Room 107), Astronomy & Astrophysics Building (AB),
U of T – St. George

Want to know more about how modern astronomy is conducted? Bursting with questions on how exoplanets are detected or how galaxies are surveyed? Not sure what to ask, but just want to learn more? Then come on down to ASX’s November Graduate Student Panel!

This 27th of November, we are proud to be featuring an expert panel of U of T PhD candidates in astronomy and astrophysics, each one with experience in cutting-edge observational methods. Feel free to come with your own questions, or lend an ear to our guided discussion. Weather-permitting, the discussion will be followed by an observation night using the instruments at the top of McLennan Physical Laboratories’ Burton Tower. As usual, everyone with any amount of background knowledge is welcome!

The panel will be moderated by journalist Dan Falk, winner of the 2019 Fleming Medal for Excellence in Science Communication. Falk is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster, and author, with credits in New Scientist, Scientific American, Astronomy Magazine, and Quanta among many others.

Star Talk: Stellar Fossils of the Early Universe

Date: October 30th, 7PM – 9PM
Location: Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories Rm 161

This star talk features Dr. Jeremy J. Webb, an Assistant Professor in U of T’s Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics. An NSERC postdoctoral fellow, Professor Webb is currently conducting research on Dynamical Evolution of Star Clusters, Dark Remnants, Dark Matter Substructure, Stellar Streams, Multiple Populations in Globular Clusters, and N-body Numerical Techniques.

Title: Fossils of the Early Universe
Abstract: Star clusters lie at the cross-roads of star formation, galaxy formation, and galaxy evolution. Stars do not form alone in isolation, but in clustered environments surround by between several tens to several millions of stars. The current star cluster population of a galaxy is made up of newly formed clusters of young stars and old star clusters that formed at the same time as the galaxy itself. These old clusters, often called globular clusters, provide clues as to what a galaxy was like when it first formed and how it has evolved over time. I will discuss what we know about cluster formation and evolution, as well as how we can use clusters as tools to study the galaxy within which they orbit. To help gain an understanding of the present day properties of Galactic clusters, we will also explore what life would be like if our Sun was actually inside a cluster with the help of a virtual reality environment. Not only will the night sky look very different, but the type of science available to astronomers would also change.

Stargazing + Grad Student Q/A

Date: September 25th, 8PM – 10PM
Location: McLennan Physical Laboratories
14th floor observation room

Calling all stargazers! ASX’s first event of the school year is coming up at the very top of McLennan Physical Laboratories (MP). We will be hosting an observation night with the 8″ and 16″ telescopes on the tower roof. Spend the evening gazing at various celestial objects. Additionally, knowledgeable graduate students will be present to answer any questions you have about the telescopes, the astronomy programs at UofT, and the Universe! This event is open to the public, and is kid-friendly. There will even be free hot chocolate!

August 2019: Picture of the Month

This picture is an original photograph of the Perseid meteor shower taken by ASX Chief Graphic Designer Hansen Jiang. The photo was created by superimposing separate pictures of two meteors onto each other, which is why two streaks of light can be seen.

The Perseids meteor shower is visible from late July to mid August. It is caused by dust particles ejected from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which orbits the sun every 133 years. These particles cross paths with the Earth, and produce short, bright streaks of light as they burn up in the atmosphere.

May 2019: Picture of the Month

On May 11th, ASX participated in Science Rendezvous, along with many other science departments and organizations at U of T to bring science out of the lab and onto the street. Our booth included a demonstration of the principles of general relativity, using a sretched out piece of fabric, some counters and marbles. The heavier the object on the fabric, the more it influenced the movements of other objects. The principle of inflation was also demonstrated, using balloons decorated with stars. As the balloons were inflated, stars moved farther apart, which is consistent with our observations.

As per tradition, execs donned ceremonial ASX garb, including space suits and cosmic squid hats.

space.society@utoronto.ca

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January 2020
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