Leading edge research performed using satellites as well as ground-based telescopes is providing new insights into the nature of celestial bodies. Much of the astrophysical study is coordinated within the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics.
We are helping to lead and exploit a number of current and future satellite missions, including the Euclid mission due to launch in July 2023. This will help us understand the nature of Dark Energy, the mysterious component of the universe driving its accelerating expansion.
Using ground-based telescopes, we explore the mysteries of the Universe to understand many aspects of astrophysics research. We have a significant role in the international Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration which created the black hole image shown above.
Waterloo is also home to the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE), a satellite mission on board the Canadian satellite SCISAT. The goal of this research is to take measurements of chemical processes in the Earth’s atmosphere with a particular emphasis on ozone depletion in the Arctic stratosphere.