Why Do We Look Up At The Heavens?

Name: Why Do We Look Up At The Heavens?
Start: 2026-04-23T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-04-23T20:00:00-04:00
Location: 489 College St

Schedule

Thu Apr 23 2026 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

489 College St | Toronto, ON

Join Space Place Canada & the RASC for an evening with Br. Guy Consolmagno PhD, the Pope’s Astronomer! Why do we look up at the heavens?
About this Event

Space Place Planetarium Canada and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada are excited to invite you to a special live event featuring Br. Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J., PhD, President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

Br. Guy will explore one of humanity’s enduring questions: Why do we look up at the heavens? Reflecting on why the Vatican supports astronomical research, why people love visiting a planetarium and why individuals choose to spend their lives in the pursuit of pure knowledge

Known as the “Pope’s Astronomer,” he is a Jesuit brother, astronomer, planetary scientist and author of 200+ scientific publications, his books include “Turn Left at Orion’ and ‘A Jesuits Guide to the Stars’. Former director of the Vatican Observatory, recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal and lecturer at both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Join us for an evening of curiosity, discovery, and insight into how exploring the universe helps us understand ourselves.

After hearing from Br. Guy there will be a reception.

About Br. Guy Consulmagno, S.J, PhD

Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J. (born 1952 in Detroit, Michigan) is a Jesuit research astronomer, planetary scientist and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, widely known as the “Pope’s Astronomer.”

He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in planetary science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in planetary science from the University of Arizona, and he served as a post-doctoral fellow at both Harvard University and MIT before entering the Jesuit order in 1989.

Br. Guy has authored over 200 scientific publications on meteorites, asteroids, and small solar system bodies. He is also a prolific author, with multiple popular works spanning astronomy and the intersection of science and faith—among them Turn Left at Orion (a widely loved stargazing guide) and his latest, A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars.

Br. Guy has received the Carl Sagan Medal for excellence in science communication and has helped bring astronomy to audiences worldwide.