Burke-Gaffney Observatory - Tours

Full updated information about our public tours is always available on our information line (496-8257) .

Free public tours of the Burke-Gaffney Observatory are held, weather permitting, on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, except from June through September when they are held every Saturday. Tours begin at 7pm between November 1 and March 30 and at either 9pm or 10pm (depending on when it gets dark) between April 1 and October 31. Meet the tour in the lobby (near the Goresbrook Ave entrance) of the Loyola Residence Building. On clear evenings, the 40-cm telescope is used to view the planets, the Moon, or other interesting celestial objects.

There will be no tour on cloudy or rainy nights. The decision to hold or cancel a tour is usually made by 6pm on Saturday. Always call the information line (496-8257) after 6pm to find out if the tour is on or off.

Group Tours

Free tours of the Burke-Gaffney Observatory are available to organized groups of from 12 to 35 people or school classes on Monday evenings (and limited day bookings). Smaller groups are asked to attend a Saturday Public Tour . Group tours consist of a 45 minute slide show titled: either "Tour of the Universe" or "Tour of the Solar System" (adjusted to suit the group) followed by a visit to the observatory. On clear evenings, the 41-cm telescope is used to view the planets, the Moon, or other interesting celestial objects. On cloudy evenings, the operation of the observatory's telescope (and telescopes in general) is explained.

The tour lasts about 1.5 hours and is held whether or not the skies are clear. Tours are booked, usually weeks or months in advance, by calling David Lane at 420-5633.

Observatory staff are also available for a limited number of daytime tours or can travel to your group or school to present astronomy presentations.