...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
Chasing its tail in the cosmos
Scientists, including Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics’ Professor Lisa Dang, have discovered a huge cloud of helium gas is escaping from the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-121 b, an “ultra-hot Jupiter.” Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists found that the helium stretches into long tails in front of and behindthe planet as it orbits around its star. The planet is losing atmosphere in dramatic ways, but current models can’t fully explain the observed structure, leaving scientists searching for more information.
WCA welcomes Carlos Garcia Garcia
Dr Carlos Garcia Garcia is a cosmologist working at the interface of data and theory to understand the nature of dark energy.
WCA Public Outreach: The Story of 2024-25
As we settle into the new school year, we're taking a moment to look back at the highlights of the WCA's public outreach programming over 2024-25!
Events
Astroseminar - Anwesh Majumder
Dr Anwesh Majumder was awarded his Bachelors (2014-2017) and Masters in Physics (2017-2019) with astro specialisation from Presidency University, Kolkata, India. After that, he moved to University of Amsterdam for his PhD (2019-2025). Anwesh followed that up with a short Scientist C position at Space Research Organisation Netherlands (March 2025-May 2025) before moving to Waterloo to take up a joint position with the WCA and Brian McNamara. Anwesh uses the XRISM X-ray telescope to understand how supermassive black holes affect the environment of galaxy clusters.