A set of telescopes at York, including the largest on a Canadian university campus, are supporting research work by faculty and students, as well as public engagement and learning. Now, the Allan I. Carswell Observatory is asking for community support.
“We are largely run by volunteers and donations,” says Observatory Director and York Professor Elaina Hyde, “Help us pay our undergrads and do awesome things.”.
The observatory hosts three large telescopes — a 40-centimetre, 60-centimetre, and a one-metre — as well as a “flock of smaller telescopes.” The one-metre telescope, the largest of the three, can see objects at the 20th magnitude — magnitude being a measure of an object’s brightness. Hyde says this strength lets the telescope see “very dim interesting things,” including faraway galaxies, planets in other solar systems, asteroids and comets, and satellites.
The observatory uses this capability for innovative research. “All of our current research includes York students and volunteers and even covers some class-related projects in NATS and Science,” explains Hyde.
Students can join one of three main research areas: galactic archaeology (using stars and other structures to study the history of the Milky Way), variable stars (stars with varying brightness), and spectroscopy (collecting electromagnetic data called spectra). The team at the observatory also runs smaller projects like “extra-solar planet projects, galaxy imaging, moon viewing” and more each term.
Those outside of the sciences can also take part in observatory programming, with Hyde calling it a “hub for public engagement and outreach.”
“We have free public viewing at the telescope via the eyepiece camera every Wednesday night for all students and members of the public,” she says. “We also have free online viewing
where the telescope (or archival) images are shown on YouTube every Monday night from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m.”
The observatory also dabbles in special viewings when a large-scale celestial event takes place. This includes a “solar eclipse viewing that occurred this year in the summer of 2024” which took place “atop the arboretum parking garage roof at Keele Campus,” and another one planned for an “upcoming lunar eclipse in 2025.”
Since this public involvement is free to take part in and much of the research work is paid,the observatory relies on fundraising to support its operations. Hyde encourages those who are able to visit a fundraising campaign website to learn about how to contribute. Options include buying a raffle ticket for a chance to win a private tour of the facility, or an observation evening supported by observatory staff.
People can also show their support by purchasing observatory merch via York’s bookstore. Hyde suggests doing some Christmas shopping in support of the observatory.
Those interested in learning more about the observatory’s activities and research can visit their website.
