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Welcome to the Allan I. Carswell Astronomical Observatory


The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is shown moving along its orbit at L2 (Lagrange Point 2, about 1 million miles away from Earth). January 15, 2023: AICO, Sunna Withers, Zena Khadour

2024 Solar Eclipse, see the AICO events and eclipse info!

2024 Astronomer in Residence Applications Open Now!

2023 in Review, Read the Directors Newsletter out Now!


Located on the York University campus in Toronto, Canada, the Allan I. Carswell Observatory supports student learning and research and is a hub for public engagement and outreach. It is home to a one-metre telescope – the largest telescope on a university campus in all of Canada – and a 60-centimetre Cassegrain, both equipped with state-of-the-art electronic cameras. As well, the Observatory has five 20-centimetre telescopes available for outdoor viewing during special celestial events.

The Observatory offers a variety of free programming for the public, including public viewing sessions, group tours, our online radio show, online public viewing, and more.

Upcoming Events

All About the AICO

York Undergraduate Dorsa Ahmadieh describes the observatory.

Tour the OLD domes before renovation with our director prof. Hyde!

New Observatory Domes:

Watch the installation of our new Observatory domes that arrived in 2022.

Why are these domes so special? See a recap from in front of the original domes.

Tour the Original Domes

Interested to see what the original 1960s domes at the Allan I. Carswell Observatory looked like? Take a 360 degree virtual tour.

OBSERVATORY IMAGES

Explore images taken by our telescope, from seasonal objects to solar system galleries.

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