...where the Universe is our laboratory.
The Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics (WCA) looks to the cosmos to solve the greatest mysteries of the universe. Here, world-class researchers and students come together in an atmosphere of curiosity, creativity and collaboration; exploring our cosmic origin to truly understand the physical processes at work in the Universe. From black holes to cosmology, we aim to understand what lies beyond the Earth. The possibilities for new discovery are limitless.
The Gustav Bakos Observatory houses a twelve-inch telescope, which is located on the roof of the Physics building. The observatory, in operation since 1967, has been used for research on and teaching about visual binary stars.
News
WCA Outreach 2023: By the numbers
2023 was a big year for outreach in the WCA!
In the last year the WCA's outreach program has expanded into several new areas. Find out what we've been up to!
XRISM has launched!
The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), and the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), were sucessfully launched onboard the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 47 (H-IIA F47) at 8:42:11 am on September 7, 2023 (Japan Standard Time, JST)/ 7:42:11 pm on September 6, 2023 (EDT) from the Tanegashima Space Center.
Perseids meteor shower
Join us to watch the Perseids meteor shower at UWaterloo!
Every August, the Earth's orbit passes through the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Fragments of the comet burn up in our atmosphere, leading to the Perseids meteor shower, one of the most prolific shooting star shows of the year.
Events
Astroseminar - Davide Sciotti - IN PERSON
After his bachelor’s degree in Physics and the Master’s degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Rome La Sapienza, Davide Sciotti started his PhD thesis on assessing the constraints on the cosmological parameters from the Euclid photometric survey. In particular, he investigated the impact of one of the non-Gaussian contributions to the total data covariance matrix, super-sample covariance, on weak lensing and galaxy clustering signals and their cross-correlation.
WCA-KPL Public Talk - The Science of Solar Eclipses (Roan Haggar)
On April 8, Southern Ontario will witness a total solar eclipse for the first time in nearly 100 years, as the Moon blocks out the light of the Sun for several minutes. Total eclipses are an amazing spectacle, but have also played a key role throughout history in our understanding of science. At this month's KPL astronomy talk, Dr. Roan Haggar will speak about the upcoming solar eclipse, and what eclipses have taught us about the Sun, our Solar System, and the Universe.