...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
XRISM early science data release
The XRISM early science data release features early science data of WCA's Brian McNamara and co-workers. An x-ray spectrum of the Perseus Cluster core shows off the capabilities of the Resolve instrument onboard XRISM.
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.
Events
Astronomy on Tap (Ana Ennis and Luciano Combi)
This month we'll hear from two guest speakers: Ana Ennis, from the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics, will speak about the death of stars like our Sun, and how these produce the stuff that we are made from! Perimeter Institute researcher Luciano Combi will then share how we can observe and model the deaths of stars, to understand the origin of heavy elements like gold.
Seminar - Scott Tremaine
Scott Tremaine received his BSc degree from McMaster University and his PhD degree from Princeton. He has been on the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Toronto, Princeton University, and the Institute for Advanced Study. He was the first Director of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics from 1985 to 1997 and the Chair of the Department of Astrophysical Sciences of Princeton University from 1998 to 2008.
Scott will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Waterloo on June 14.
50 years of Horndeski Gravity: Exploring modified gravity
We are excited to announce a landmark conference that plans to delve into the forefront of research on modified theories of gravity and brings together leading experts from different disciplines, including observational astrophysicists, numerical relativists, cosmologists and mathematical physicists to explore the present status of modified theories of gravity and envision their future theoretical development and implications for observations.
This conference is also timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of pioneering work in this area carried out by Gregory Horndeski in the Waterloo Mathematical Physics Community. Hosted jointly by Perimeter Institute and the University of Waterloo, this conference will serve as a forum for researchers from different disciplines to exchange ideas at the cuttingnedge of gravitational physics.