Rothney Astrophysical Observatory

Rothney Astrophysical Observatory The University of Calgary's RAO is dedicated to research teaching & outreach in astronomy and science

That’s a wrap on Milky Way Nights!Over two evenings, visitors looked through our telescopes, chatted with astronomers an...
07/23/2026

That’s a wrap on Milky Way Nights!

Over two evenings, visitors looked through our telescopes, chatted with astronomers and took in some great views of the night sky. We observed the crescent Moon and captured images of the Whirlpool Galaxy, Ring Nebula, Butterfly Nebula, Messier 3, and so much more!

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to Ranchers Creamery for keeping us supplied with late-night ice cream. 🍦

Swipe through to see a few highlights from the events.

Did you have a favourite thing that you saw? Tell us in the comments!

Photo Creds: SeaStar (Xavier) CMT (Hannan) ARCT (Nico) Cube (Ruhee)

MilkyWay

The Milky Way is waiting.Join us for one of our favourite events of the summer. Spend the evening under dark skies, look...
07/14/2026

The Milky Way is waiting.

Join us for one of our favourite events of the summer. Spend the evening under dark skies, look through telescopes, chat with astronomers, and see the Milky Way stretching overhead.

Plus, Ranchers Creamery will be on site with late-night ice cream available for purchase. 🍦

Swipe through to see what you can expect, along with a few reminders before you arrive.

Tickets are required.

Observatory

Meet the newest intern at the RAO!Mark, the 2026/2027 intern at the observatory with a background in software developmen...
07/06/2026

Meet the newest intern at the RAO!

Mark, the 2026/2027 intern at the observatory with a background in software development, is pursuing a combined degree in Computer Science and Astrophysics. Deeply passionate for data science, computational physics and understanding spacetime through a warped coordinate system. He hopes to one day contribute to the fields of general relativity and help uncover the mysteries behind the universe’s most extreme phenomena. When not at work, he is often found sinking an uncomfortable amount of hours into various RPGs, fixing an ever-broken Minecraft server or plotting the next session of a tabletop RPG. Regardless of what may come, he carries a desire to chase the endless, until we end as we began.

We’re glad to have you, Mark!

Let’s meet Jennifer!Jennifer McVeigh is a writer and educator with a background in science communication and museum educ...
06/22/2026

Let’s meet Jennifer!

Jennifer McVeigh is a writer and educator with a background in science communication and museum education. She worked as a digital content editor with Let’s Talk Science and has published art criticism in journals and newspapers across Canada. She holds degrees in fine art and visual culture and has created exhibitions, outreach events, and publications at Alberta University of the Arts and a number of artist-run centres. She loves swimming anywhere, anytime she can. Jennifer started as an Engagement Coordinator at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory in 2025.

We are so excited to have Jennifer on our RAO team!

06/16/2026

Join us live on Instagram and Twitch for the occultation of Venus at 12:45 pm MST on June 17th, 2026! We will be streaming this astronomical event with our 14-inch telescope. Come prepared with your questions and curiosity!

Please be advised this stream will be cancelled on account of bad weather.

Our twitch is Rothney Observatory.

Meet Hannan Bashir!Born in Calgary, initially moving to White Rock in the fifth grade. Moving around across the lower ma...
06/15/2026

Meet Hannan Bashir!

Born in Calgary, initially moving to White Rock in the fifth grade. Moving around across the lower mainland and finishing high school in Chilliwack. Eventually moving back to Calgary to do a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics and a minor in computer science. Alongside regular work at the observatory, a goal is to create a working homemade radio telescope to observe the 21cm hydrogen spin flip. Outside of work, tinkering with LoRa (long range radio) modules to create a private messaging network to communicate with friends. Besides electronics, I strive harder to perfect my lasagna with my most recent iteration being the most well received to date. A career path that includes stocking shelves, to being a life guard, an intern at an observatory, and to whatever the future holds.

Meet Dr. Phil Langill!Dr. Phil Langill is a Calgarian, a UCalgary Associate Professor in Teaching, and co-Director of th...
06/08/2026

Meet Dr. Phil Langill!

Dr. Phil Langill is a Calgarian, a UCalgary Associate Professor in Teaching, and co-Director of the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory. He did Nuclear Physics (MSc) at the University of Alberta and Astrophysics (BSc and PhD) at UCalgary. He advocates for Naturally Dark Skies at night initially motivated by his scientific astronomical pursuits. The motivation now is his concern over the harm being done to the Natural World (mammals and insects and plants) and the erosion of human cultural connection to the stars, due to the overuse of artificial light at night. If the skies are clear he is running RAO telescopes and if skies are cloudy he is crunching data – all with the goal of teaching students the nuts and bolts of astrophysics.

Curious about what’s happening in the sky this June? Look no further!June is packed with cool astronomical events. On Ju...
06/04/2026

Curious about what’s happening in the sky this June? Look no further!

June is packed with cool astronomical events. On June 9th, check out the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter!

Want more than just two planets? Lucky for you, there will be a mini planet parade on June 11th with Mercury entering the ring! You’ll be able to see all three planets after sunset.

Can’t stay up late? Want something you can see during the day? On June 17th, there will be a Lunar occultation of Venus. You’ll be able to see Venus during the day (with binoculars or a telescope) as it disappears and then reappears from behind the moon.

Safety warning: This event will take place around noon. Please exercise safe viewing practices and never look at or around the Sun without proper solar protection.

To top it off, the Summer Solstice is coming up on June 21st! Here is to the longest day of the year!

June is going to be super exciting. Need help or have questions on how to view these events? Send us a DM or email us at [email protected].

06/03/2026

Fun Facts with Rothney!

Canada’s contribution to the International Space Station and other space missions is immense. Did you know Canada had such a big presence on the space stage?

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Hwy 22 South
Calgary, AB
T0L1W0

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403 931 2366

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