Canada's astronomical history may be short in terms of years, but we've made up for it in terms of accoplishments! Read on to find out more about Canada's astronomical past.

Astronomy -- especially the opening of the Dominion Observatory, in Ottawa, in 1902 -- was essential for the surveying and westward expansion of our country.

When the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory opened in Victoria BC in 1918, its 1.83m telescope was the largest in the world; this marked the beginning of serious government investment in basic astronomical research.

When the University of Toronto's David Dunlap Observatory opened in Richmond Hill, Ontario in 1935, its 1.88m telescope was the second-largest in the world (and the Victoria telescope was third-largest); thus, university research in astronomy developed in parallel with government research.

Canadian monitoring of the radio emission from the sun at 10cm wavelength, started in 1946, is still used internationally as a measure of the "activity" of the sun; Arthur Covington (Ottawa) was the driving force behind this program.

The Canadian Impact Crater Program, started in 1951, established Canada as a leader in this field -- a field which is of increasing interest, since impacts can have profound effects on life on earth. This program was initiated by C.S. Beals, one of Canada's foremost astronomers.

The opening of the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Penticton BC in 1960, and the Algonquin Radio Observatory in Algonquin Park ON in 1966, led to major scientific developments, such as the discovery of complex molecules in interstellar space.

In 1967, the Penticton and Algonquin Radio Telescopes were linked to create the first Very Long Baseline Interferometer -- providing a thousand-fold increase in the ability of radio telescopes to see fine detail.

The opening of the Observatoire de Mont Mégantic in 1978 marked the creation of the first major centre of astronomical research in French-speaking Canada.

The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, which saw "first light" in 1979, provided Canada with a share of one of the most powerful and productive telescopes in the world. Canadian astronomers developed special instruments to extend the power of this telescope, including a technique which has since been used to discover almost a hundred planets around other stars.

The Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, opened in Toronto in 1985, is now a world leader in understanding planetary systems, stars and their life cycles, and the origin and evolution of the universe.

Canada has a share in the Gemini telescopes -- giant 8m telescopes located in Hawaii and in Chile.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), located deep within a nickel mine, is the world's most powerful detector of neutrinos -- subatomic particles emitted by nuclear reactions in the sun and stars, and in supernova explosions; it recently solved the "solar neutrino problem" -- the apparent lack of neutrinos from the sun (it turned out that many neutrinos change form during their flight from the sun, and are not detected).

Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer satellite studies the universe at far-ultraviolet wavelengths; it was the first astronomical satellite in which Canada had a share.

The ODIN satellite, launched in 2001, observes the universe at sub-millimetre wavelengths; it was developed in collaboration with astronomers in Finland, France, and Sweden, and is the first satellite in which Canada played a significant role in design, construction, and operation.

In 2000, Canadian scientists recovered the Tagish Lake meteorite on a frozen lake in British Columbia; this meteorite was later found to be the most primitive meteorite ever recovered -- almost unchanged since the formation of the solar system, 4.5 billion years ago.

More links:

Canadian Astronomers
Canadian contributions to space technology and exploration
Canadian Observatories profiled on the Virtual Museum of Canada
Back to Canadian Astronomy main page

with files from J.R. Percy(2003), University of Toronto