This page is just to list our upcoming events. To reserve tickets, use the "Reserve Tickets" webpage.
For more information about the types of tours we offer, check out the Visitor Info page.
For the public open house status message, click here.
Upcoming events:
The events below go ahead on the most clear night of Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The status of the weekend's open house can be checked on the status page.
- Public Lecture in Astronomy: Tuesday June 3rd at 7pm, SMU McNally Auditorium (Note: this is a PUBLIC LECTURE, so the intended audience is ANYONE interested in astronomy! You won't need to be an expert to understand and enjoy it! This is *not* an Observatory visit, but rather a public lecture being held by CASCA)
- NO TICKETS NEEDED
- Title: Cosmic Fossils and the Origins of Planets | The 2025 Helen Sawyer Hogg Public Lecture (poster link)
- Speaker: Dr. JJ Kavelaars, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre, NRC Canada
- Summary: What can asteroids, Kuiper Belt objects, and interstellar visitors tell us about how planets form? These distant and ancient bodies hold the key to understanding the early history of our solar system. Join Dr. JJ Kavelaars as he explores how new discoveries—and the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory—are transforming our view of the origins of planetary systems.
- Weekend of Friday June 6 to Sunday June 8 from 9:30 to 11pm
- Tickets become available to reserve on Monday June 2 at 7pm
- Weekend of Friday June 13 to Sunday June 15 from 9:30 to 11pm
- Tickets become available to reserve on Monday June 9 at 7pm
The Burke-Gaffney Observatory runs public tours roughly every other weekend, all throughout the year. Check above for the currently-published schedule.
You can expect there to be breaks in tour schedules during student exam periods in April and December, and at the beginning of term in September and January. Note: There will be a break during June 2025 while the Observatory's human is on vacation!
General information about our public open houses is here.
Last updated: 2025-May-28