Telescope Tales from Astrotour of U of T

I recently had the chance to attend an AstroTour hosted by the University of Toronto. I came across the event on Instagram and immediately planned my Thursday evening to visit the campus. Upon arriving, I walked through the university’s stunning architecture to reach the Department of Earth Sciences, where a guest lecture was being delivered by Dr. Hannah Diamond-Lowe, a research assistant specializing in exoplanets—planets that exist outside our solar system.

Dr. Lowe’s talk covered fascinating topics, including the James Webb Space Telescope, Voyager, and Kepler missions and their major discoveries. One incredible fact she shared was about the first planet discovered in the Hot Rocks Survey—its light left the star-planet system on June 6, 1964, and we are only detecting it now, as the star is 59.45 light-years away. She also discussed the techniques used to study exoplanets, particularly M-dwarf systems, and introduced the concept of the cosmic shoreline using detailed graphs. There was also a sign language interpreter present during the lecture, making the session accessible and inclusive for everyone attending.

After the lecture, we moved to the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, located next to the Earth Sciences building, for telescope viewing. Guided by a team of research scholars, we reached the 18th floor, where a telescope was focused on Saturn. Its beautiful rings and largest moon, Titan, were clearly visible, along with a stunning view of the city lights and the CN Tower.

8-inch refractor telescope

I also observed Saturn and Titan through an 8-inch refractor telescope housed in a closing dome to reduce light pollution, and a 16-inch refractor telescope aimed at the Cygnus constellation, featuring the binary stars Albireo A and B.

16-inch refractor telescope

On the lower levels of the institute, there were interactive demonstrations on topics such as 3D-printed satellites, black holes, and gravity.

I even got to hold real meteorites, one of which was remarkably heavy, resembling solid iron. I also saw a fascinating rock aslo known as impact glass or tektite formed when a meteorite strikes Earth — the intense heat melts the surface, creating a glass-like texture that sparkles under light.

Tektite

A planetarium setup created by the researchers showcased the Milky Way and various satellites, and the displays featured meteorite samples, project models, and historic telescopes.

Rock from space

The entire event was free and open to the public, organized once every month, and it was an unforgettable experience to observe planets and constellations through professional observatory telescopes.