EVENTS
Star Party | The History of Modern Constellations
The night sky is filled with familiar patterns, but many of the constellations we recognize today are far more recent than most people realize. This talk explores the fascinating history of modern constellations.
Star Party | Stars losing their stuff
Stars losing their stuff
or, where the stardust you are made of comes from
Wolf Rayet Star APEP. Image Credit: Han, White, and Pagan, STSci 11/25
Ben Dorman Ph.D., Centre of the Universe
Stars, which need to shine to survive, lose mass at all stages of their life cycle. From stars like the Sun which has a solar wind that gives rise to beautiful aurorae and sometimes messes up your WiFi, to Red and Asymptotic Giant stars that violently throw off outer layers and give rise to intricate Planetary Nebulae; to Wolf Rayet Stars and Supernovae, they shed layers and enrich the medium with elements and sometimes violence.
Our space telescopes such as the Parker Solar Probe, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Webb Space Telescope have allowed us to understand some of the most amazing stars in our Galaxy. I will do my level best to convey the richness of stellar mass loss phenomena.
Ben Dorman received a Ph.D. studying the late stages of stellar evolution from the University of Victoria and went on to study even more advanced evolutionary stages, and integrated properties of galaxies from space. He worked as a software engineer at NASA / Goddard Spaceflight Center, enhancing programs still used by X-Ray scientists around the world. After subsequent careers in IT as a software architect and cloud engineer he retired to lead the Centre of the Universe since 2015.
Tickets available on Tuesday July 14, 2026 at 5pm, and will be found below.
Star Party
Star Party
Tickets available on Tuesday July 21, 2026 at 5pm, and will be found below.
Star Party | Exploring Exobiology In Science Fiction
A sentient cloud of gas. A plant whose potent juices disintegrate most organic matter on contact. A spiral-shaped creature that is confined to a planet of viscous goo due to its ultra-sensitive hearing. What do these life forms have in common? They are all non-humanoid aliens that appear in D.C. Greschner’s sci-fi novel, Out of Tune.
Star Party | The Wonders of the observatory
The Wonders of the Observatory: History and Fun Facts
Presented by Isla, Grade 6
Horse-drawn wagons once carried Observatory components up the hill during construction.
Tickets available on Tuesday August 4, 2026 at 5pm, and will be found below.
Star Party | Julie Bolduc-Duval, Discover the Universe
The Universe in 5 Images
with Julie Bolduc-Duval, Discover the Universe
Over the past 25 years, Julie Bolduc-Duval has viewed thousands of images of the cosmos. Which ones left a lasting impression on her? In this talk, she will share five of these iconic images, explaining the science behind each one and how they were taken. A simple way to discover the universe and gain insight into key moments in astronomical research.
Julie Bolduc-Duval is an astronomer and an award-winning science communicator. An alumna of the University of Victoria’s physics and astronomy program, Julie also worked at the DAO for many years before moving back to Quebec in 2004. She is now the director of the national astronomy education program Discover the Universe, and she collaborates with educators and astronomers nationwide to bring the wonders of the cosmos into Canadian classrooms.
Star Party
Star PArty
Tickets available on Tuesday June 30, 2026 at 5pm, and will be found below.
Star Party | Time-Domain Astronomy
Time-Domain Astronomy
Exploring a Dynamic Universe
with Tyler Bird, University of Victoria
While most astronomical objects appear motionless, fixed and unchanging, the universe is packed with pheonomena that brighten, fade, move, or even explode in our night sky. In this talk, you'll explore the objects and events studied in Time-Domain Astronomy. Transient events are phenomena whose duration of presentation can be on the order of milliseconds, to weeks, to even several years. This presentation covers variable stars, exoplanet transits, supernovae, fast radio bursts, other transient events, and the surveys and experiments used to find them.
Tyler Bird is a 4th Year Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy Honours student.
Tickets available on Tuesday June 23, 2026 at 5pm, and will be found below.
Star Party | Our Cosmic Origins in the Smallest Galaxies
Our Cosmic Origins in the smallest Galaxies
Prof. Kim Venn, University of Victoria
The Magellanic Stream -clues to the formation of our Galaxy
Life, the universe, and (nearly) everything depends on atoms. Most of these atoms formed in stars and supernovae, after the Big Bang. To unravel the complex origins of the chemical elements, we turn to the most pristine systems. These are the tiny satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, which are isolated systems that have experienced much simpler histories of star formation. The GHOST spectrograph, built and tested at NRC Herzberg in Victoria before being delivered to the Gemini South Observatory in Chile, has played a critical role in this research. I will share how UVic researchers are using GHOST to study the chemistry of stars in the nearby dwarf galaxies and what those reveal about the origin of the elements that make up our world.
Bio:
Kim Venn is a professor of Physics & Astronomy at UVic. Her research group uses stellar spectroscopy to answer questions about the oldest stars, the smallest galaxies, and other chemical peculiarities in the universe. She has received numerous honours ranging from awards in research, mentorship, and partnerships, to leadership roles on international observatory advisory and governing boards.
Star Party | Bigger bangs
An artist's illustration of a supernova explosion, which sends off shock waves that accelerate protons to the point that they become cosmic rays, a process called Fermi acceleration. Image released Feb. 14, 2013. (Image credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
BigGEr BanGS - The Biggest explosions in the Universe
With Nathan Hellner-Mestelman
Celestial Saxophone Orchestra | The Planets
Experience an unforgettable evening of music, refreshments, and astronomy at the Centre of the Universe adjacent to the historic Dominion Astrophysical Observatory.
Acclaimed conductor Stephen Capaldo leads the Celestial Saxophone Orchestra performing Holst’s The Planets, one of the most celebrated orchestral works of the 20th Century.
Star Party | Extremophiles
Extremophiles: Life on the Edge
with Kalene Lilico, Build-A-Brain, passport to science
Life on Earth hasn't always evolved to be confined to comfortable environments. Some organisms thrive in literal acid, crushing pressures, and subzero ice. These “extremophiles” are expanding our understanding of what life needs to survive, challenging long-held assumptions about habitability. Familiarize yourself with the organisms taking the ice bucket challenge to the next level and uncover clues about the potential for evolved life beyond Earth's atmosphere.
Kay is a science communicator who spends her time sharing her curiosity of the natural world—from dinosaurs and bugs to whales, birds, and everything in between. As Director of Programs at Passport to Science, she helps connect communities with fun, accessible science experiences that inspire wonder and exploration. You can also find her working directly with students through Build-a -Brain, where her hands-on biology programs inspire learners to take science into their own hands.
Tickets will be available on Tuesday May 5th at 5:00 pm below.
Star Party | Telescope Clinic
Star Party
Telescope clinic
Have you recently been given or have purchased a new telescope and don’t know how to put it together? We can help.
Or are you unsure how to make that old telescope work after retrieving it from the closet?
Come to our clinic and see if we can revive that dusty friend.
Telescopes are often abandoned though the problems may be simple to fix. Sometimes it may be how you are trying to use your telescope. Perhaps this clinic can provide you with some answers and solutions.
Find out what kind of telescope you have
Telescopes can offer beautiful views of the universe. This is achieved through refractive lenses and mirrors. Each telescope has its own unique characteristics. Is your telescope a good fit for what you want to see?
Learn about the different parts of a telescope
Every telescope works primarily the same. It will have optics, a focusing mechanism, a support or base and possibly a tracking system. How it achieves these functions can be different for each telescope.
Learn about general maintenance
Every telescope requires maintenance. Sometimes this is required right away with a new telescope for optimal performance. After many seasons of use every telescope will need to be inspected and be maintained or repaired.
Please note that tickets will be released on TUESDAY APRIL 21st at 5:00pm, and will be found below.
Star Party | International Astronomy Day
Is there life off Earth? Bound by the limitations of spaceflight, a growing number of astrobiologists investigate the question by studying life on our planet. Astronomer and author Jon Willis shows us how it’s done, allowing readers to envision extraterrestrial landscapes by exploring their closest Earth analogs.
Star Party | Imaging Exoplanets
Directly imaging planets around other stars is one of the most challenging goals in modern astronomy. These planets, known as exoplanets, are incredibly faint objects orbiting extremely bright stars at distances almost too far to fathom. In this talk, I’ll explain how we can overcome these challenges using both ground-based and space-based telescopes and how we can use these techniques to learn more about other worlds.
Reach for the stars
Reach for the Stars
Join us for an exclusive evening at the historic Centre of the Universe in Victoria, BC on November 29th, as we launch our new logo and kick off our annual fundraising campaign.
This special event is a fantastic opportunity to support science outreach in the community while enjoying an array of celestial activities.
Event Details
Date: Saturday March 21, 2026
Time: The event runs from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Location: The Centre of the Universe, Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, 5071 West Saanich Rd, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7.
Admission: Tickets are a $20 donation each, and every attendee will receive a charitable receipt.
✨ Event Highlights
🎤 Guest Speaker Dan Posey: Learn about the fascinating history of the site during a special presentation.
🌌 Planetarium Shows: Experience enlightening presentations in the planetarium, making complex astronomical concepts easy to understand.
🔭 Dome Tours: Get an up-close look at the historic Plaskett Telescope, once the largest in the world.
☕ Refreshments: Enjoy light refreshments throughout the evening.
🌠 Star Gazing (Weather Permitting): Peer through research-grade telescopes (including the 16" and RASC member telescopes) to observe the night sky, weather permitting. The event goes on rain or shine, with plenty to do even if the weather doesn't cooperate.
Come and celebrate this new chapter with us and help inspire the next generation of scientists and astronomers!
Winter Solstice Celebration
This past summer, Lauren and Riley were both working under the direction of Dr. Kim Venn as part of the Near Field Cosmology group. Their project involved studying the spectra of stars taken with the GHOST spectrograph at Gemini South, which is the instrument being used to study 46 Milky Way satellites in the GHOULS (GHOST Ultra-faint Legacy Survey), studying the faintest satellites of the Milky Way to determine their dark matter contents and chemical evolution.
3rd Annual Pancake Breakfast
3rd annual pancake breakfast
Join us for a pancake breakfast at the Centre of the Universe and support our annual giving appeal! Enjoy a special appearance by Kris Kringle, Saint Nick — or as we like to call him, Santa!
When:
Early Birds: 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Late Risers: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tickets: $25 per person
Your breakfast includes:
Pancakes and waffles with all the toppings
Fresh fruit
Coffee, tea, and juice
Cookie decorating
Photos with Santa
Eat pancakes and support a great cause! Your ticket helps us continue our mission of inspiring curiosity about astronomy. The Centre of the Universe offers historic and modern telescopes, hands-on exhibits, educational programs, and public stargazing events — connecting visitors of all ages with the wonders of the cosmos.
All funds raised go directly to educational outreach, helping us grow programs that spark imagination and deepen understanding of the universe.
History of science and modern discovery
Why is the history of science, along with the technology that influenced it, so vital to modern discovery? In this presentation, I examine how understanding the past enables us to advance science, especially in astronomy and astrophysics.
In this presentation we will investigate the question “why is the history of science and the historical technology used essential for the progression of modern science?”
Star Party
Star Party
Tickets will be available Monday at 5pm on this page 12 days prior to the event.
Cosmic Trivia Night
Cosmic Trivia Night
Want to put your astronomy and sci-fi knowledge to the test? Join us at Brass Money Brewing on October 17th at 6:00 pm for a fun night of food, drinks, trivia and music bingo!
Flex your brain to have a chance to also win some cool prizes!
This is a fundraiser for the education program here at the Centre of the Universe. Proceeds will go to help us reach low-income schools and make sure all students have access to STEM education.
Star Party
Star Party
Tickets will be available Monday at 5pm on this page 12 days prior to the event.
VOX in the Stars
An annual musical event like no other: evocative, celestially-inspired choral music performed under the stars, within the historic Plaskett Telescope dome. An experience sure to move you to wonder and awe at our place in the cosmos.
Think Quantum!
For 100 years, quantum mechanics has been reshaping our understanding of reality—revealing a world where particles can exist in two states at once and influence each other instantly across space. Let’s unravel how quantum weirdness is driving the new era of quantum computing and changing the future of science and technology as we know it.
Dinosaurs to Dust
Dinosaurs to Dust
A Meteorite Induced Mass Extinction
Bad days have a habit of getting worse before they get better, as do mass extinction events! Unpack the before, during and after of the K-T extinction event that took all but the non-avian dinosaurs off planet earth, leaving the way clear for mammals to have their shot.
With Kay Lilico, DinoLab
Kay Lillico is a science communicator at the fossil preparation lab and museum, DinoLab Inc. Kay has a degree in Biology from the University of Victoria, and spends her days inviting guests to touch, hold and do at DinoLab Inc, providing a hands-on fossil experience like no other
Tickets will be available Monday at 5pm on this page 12 days prior to the event.
Northern Star - Special Edition
Northern Star - Special Edition
with Nick Versteeg
Young Jack Plaskett teaches himself the violin on his childhood home on an Ontario farm
Director Nick Versteeg presents a special edition of Northern Star, a documentary of the founding of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, the life of its founder and first director John Stanley Plaskett, and the legacy of the 108 year old observatory that you see across the parking lot here.
Sponsored by CHEK-TV, the Canadian Media Fund, the University of Toronto, DV Productions. The Friends of the DAO organization has been involved in this project from the beginning
This special edition runs 1 hr 5 min
Hosted By Bob McDonald (CBC Quirks and Quarks)
starring Roger Carr as John Stanley Plaskett
Programme Schedule
Numbers in parenthesis correspond to location on map.
event start times
7:30pm Dome Tour
7:30pm Children's Program
8:00pm Children's Dome Tour
8:00pm Northern Star - Special Edition - first screening
9:00pm Dome Tour and after dark Live Observing with the Plaskett Telescope (weather permitting)
9:15pm Northern Star - Special Edition - second screening
10:00pm Dome Tour and Live Observing with the Plaskett Telescope (weather permitting)
All evening
Exhibits
Sidewalk Astronomers
Children’s crafts (until 9:30)
Ask an Astronomer
Unhosted Planetarium shows (limited capacity)
RASC Welcome Table
Gift Shop
STAR PARTY - The Modern Age of Astronomy: Five Incredible Images from this Summer
Star Party
The Modern Age of Astronomy: Five Incredible Images from this Summer
Presentation by Dr JAMES DI FRANCESCo (director, Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
With numerous astronomical observatories around the world and in space, humankind is now making great strides in understanding the universe. In my presentation, I will focus on about five (or so) images that were released just this summer alone that together illustrate the incredible scope and breadth of modern astrophysics. These images will include the spectacular very first ones released by the new ultrawide-field Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile of galaxies, stars, and asteroids, amazing shots from the Atacama Large Millimetre Array and Very Large Telescope facilities also in Chile of protostars that appear to be forming planets, stunning new images by the James Webb Space Telescope of a nearby region in our Galaxy where stars are forming, and thrilling images from the Gemini South observatory of the new interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. That said, astronomy is a very dynamic field of research with many news releases occurring each week. Hence, I reserve the right to substitute one of the above images and/or include a sixth image should a super-cool one be released between the writing of this abstract and the actual presentation.
Dr. James Di Francesco obtained his Ph.D. in Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997 based on research into the circumstellar environments of young stellar objects under the supervision of Prof. Neal Evans II. He spent three years (1997-1999) at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA and three years (1999-2000 at the University of California, Berkeley, expanding his research. In 2002, James returned to Canada to join the Millimetre Astronomy Group at the National Research Council’s Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre (HAA) in Victoria, BC, continuing his research into the internal structure of nearby star-forming molecular clouds and developing the Canadian contributions to the international Atacama Large Millimetre Array observatory. In 2018, he became the Director, Optical Astronomy at HAA and Director of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory.
Tickets will be available Monday at 5pm on this page 12 days prior to the event.
Star Party
Star Party
The McKellar Telescope: Discovering Worlds Beyond our Sun
The 1.8-meter Plaskett telescope isn’t the only telescope on site with a notable namesake, interesting history, and exciting scientific instruments. Located just across the road from the Centre of the Universe is the 1.2-meter telescope and McKellar spectrograph. This talk touches on Andrew McKellar’s discoveries, his design of the telescope’s instrumentation, and the role spectroscopy plays in past and present astronomical research.
Allen Keefe is a Physics and Astronomy student at the University of Victoria. Growing up with a broad curiosity for science, Allen discovered a passion for astronomy while taking an aerospace course at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
Tickets will be available Monday at 5pm on this page 12 days prior to the event.
Star Party
Star Party
Don’t Fall In: (A Mostly) Safe Guide to Black Holes
SUMMARY
Have you ever wondered what would actually happen if you fell into a black hole? In this talk, astronomer and science educator Ruhee Janmohamed takes you on a journey to the strangest and most mysterious corners of the universe. Together, we’ll travel closer and closer to a black hole built from science and imagination, watching the universe shift around us as we go. You’ll learn about the different kinds of black holes, both observed and theoretical, and what unfolds as you approach their invisible edge. Time slows. Space stretches. The laws of physics begin to unravel. From stellar remnants to supermassive giants, we’ll explore how black holes warp reality itself. Whether you’re a space enthusiast or simply curious about the unknown, this is a voyage into darkness, wonder, and the edges of what we know.
Ruhee Janmohamed is an astronomer, researcher, and science educator based in Victoria, BC. She holds a degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Victoria, where she contributed to research on exoplanets and protostellar outflows. Ruhee has been involved in science communication and outreach since 2017, including running public programs at UVic’s 32-inch DFM telescope. She currently works as the Education Leadership Coordinator at the Centre of the Universe, where she creates astronomy programming for learners of all ages. Her passion lies in connecting people to the cosmos through curiosity, wonder, and inclusive science storytelling.
Tickets will be available Monday at 5pm on this page 12 days prior to the event.
the Boring Side of Astronomy
Stephen Gwyn, a leader of the Canadian effort to archive and make use of space data, will explain why wide-field imaging surveys like Euclid and the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which seem really dull (I mean really all you see is bunch of dots on a black background, not like those cool pictures you get from Hubble and James Webb) are actually really interesting.
Photographic Legacy of the DAO
The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) is fortunate to have a treasure trove of historic photographic material. The DAO has approximately 150 photographs of the site and construction of the telescope between 1914 and 1918. Most of these are on 20cm x 25cm glass photographic plates.
Vera Rubin Observatory
The Vera Rubin Observatory represents a transformative step in ground-based astronomy, designed to conduct the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). This presentation explores the telescope’s groundbreaking design—including its 3.2-gigapixel camera and rapid, wide-field imaging capabilities—and the novel survey strategies it will employ.
The Language of the stars
Nathan Hellner-Mestelman takes us right back to the Big Bang, then hurls us through cosmic history as we discover how to swirl up galaxies, solar systems, and eventually life. In this quirky medley of science and speculation, we'll cover every common thread weaving across our cosmos. Ever wondered what atoms, cells, people, refrigerators, the universe, and beer have in common? Come along for a maddening adventure of science in The Language of the Stars!
A Birthday Celebration
SURPRISE!
IT’s OUR BIRTHDAY!
Join us for a special 10th Birthday celebration for Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. Come visit during the daytime too!
We’ll have the usual Dome Tours and Planetarium Shows. But we’ll also have cupcakes, face painting, crafts and more.
Daytime admission 1-6pm is free.
Signing of the License to Occupy granting the Friends occupancy of the Centre of the Universe and the Plaskett Dome for public outreach.
Then, join us in the evening for a special anniversary star party. Listen to a panel discussion with the founding members of the Friends, and learn about science outreach in your community. We’ll review our progress and the astronomical discoveries of the last 10 years!
All the usual things too, including live imaging from the Plaskett Telescope after dark, weather permitting.
Tickets will be available Monday at 5pm on this page 12 days prior to the event.
Please note that confirmation for tickets is sent via email only.