Skip to main content

RASC Toronto Centre President's Message

Submitted by rasc@johnginder.com on 31 May 2018

It is a pleasure to announce that the RASC Toronto Centre is back at the David Dunlap Observatory after a nearly two-year hiatus. On May 23, we signed a contract that established a partnership with the Town of Richmond Hill to provide educational and outreach programs in astronomy at the DDO.

The Town has set up a central website for all the programs offered by the Toronto Centre as well as other partner organizations. The Toronto Centre will also be offering programs suitable for school groups and youth groups such as Scouts and Guides (see our About page). We hope to offer the New Observers to Visual Astronomy (NOVA) program as well.

The last week of May was a busy one leading up to the Official Opening of the Richmond Hill David Dunlap Observatory on Saturday, June 9.

Dr. Bhairavi Shankar, Chair of the Toronto Centre’s DDO Committee, spent May 30 with Ian Wheelband, Ron Bonner, and Tom Luton, moving our 4-inch Brashear refractor telescope and a variety of other equipment and materials into our new office on the ground floor of the Administration Building.

On May 31, there was a Media Day at the DDO, hosted by the Town to showcase the restoration of the Administration Building and the 1.88m (74") telescope dome in advance of the Official Opening.

Our first public program on Saturday, June 2 quickly sold out. Our volunteers are busy preparing for the rest of our Family Night and Speaker Night programs for this summer.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on what we're doing.

B. Ralph Chou
President, RASC Toronto Centre

Image of the DDO courtesy Town of Richmond Hill