...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.
News
Professor Michel Fich awarded Dunlap Award for Innovation in Astronomical Research Tools
Professor Emeritus Michel (Mike) Fich of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Associate Member of the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics has been awarded the 2026 Dunlap Award for Innovation in Astronomical Research Tools by the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA).
DESI Completes Planned 3D Map of the Universe and Continues Exploring
For the last five years, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has been systematically scanning the night sky. Today marks the completion of its first map, which is the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever made.
Major new telescope on Chilean summit opens window on universe
Thirty-four years after scientists first conceived it, the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) now rises above the Atacama Desert, near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor in Chile’s Parque Astronómico Atacama.
FYST will help answer some of the most important questions in astronomy, including how the universe works, the nature of dark energy and dark matter, how galaxies form and evolve and what happened in those mysterious first moments after the Big Bang.
Events
WCA-KPL Public Talk: Black Holes and Beyond (Lucy Pothier-Bogoslowski)
Black holes are massive objects from which even light cannot escape -- so how can we "see" them? In this month's KPL astronomy talk, Lucy Pothier-Bogoslowski will discuss several observational techniques and properties of black holes that allow us to observe them and their impact on their environments from small to large scales.