The observatory welcomes public interest and highly promotes the field of astronomy to those who are interested. Our public viewing program runs all year round and is popular with the local and visiting communities. On public viewing nights, visitors are able to observe selected celestial objects in the presence of friendly staff, in addition to engaging in various on-hand presentations. The observatory is open regardless of weather conditions, even though viewing through the telescope is limited to clear skies. If it’s cloudy, drop in for a slide show and a tour featuring both of our telescopes.
Due to space restrictions, we are unable to accommodate large groups of visitors during our public viewing sessions. If you have a group of 10 or more, please contact us at observe@yorku.ca to schedule a private tour for your group.
Group Tours
The York University Observatory offers private tours for school groups, youth organizations, clubs, and large groups of interested individuals. These can include slide show presentations, tours of our facilities, live demonstrations and hands-on activities, and of course, viewing through the telescopes when conditions permit.
These tours are open to any group of 10 or more. Please contact us at observe@yorku.ca to schedule a visit. We look forward to seeing you!
Note: We are unable to accommodate tours on Wednesday nights due to our weekly public viewing sessions, which run at the same time.
Observing Hours
The observatory is open for public (in-person) viewing on Wednesday nights at the following times:
| October - March | 19:30 - 21:30 EST |
| April - September | 21:00 - 23:00 EST |
