11 August 2026 Registration is open for the 6th Testing Gravity conference at SFU Harbour Centre in Vancouver, January 27-30, 2027. Like the previous meetings in this series, TG2027 will feature the latest updates from the gravitational wave detectors, laboratory tests, cosmological surveys and other experiments, as well as discussions of recent theoretical advances. Testing Gravity remains a topical theme because of the unexplained nature of Dark Matter and Dark Energy and t

12 August 2026 The CASCA/ACURA Thirty Meter Telescope Advisory Committee (CATAC) and the CASCA Ground-based Astronomy Committee (GAC) have completed the consolidation of the Very Large Optical/Infrared Telescope (VLOT) survey results and their deliberations on all available information, resulting in the following recommendations: 1. Following the majority view expressed in the survey responses, together with subsequent deliberations by CATAC and GAC, including the inform

11 August, 2026 Dear Gemini Users, A reminder: the Fast Turnaround (FT) proposal deadline is at the end of this month, 31 August, at 12:00 (noon) Hawai'i Standard Time. Accepted proposals will be active in the queue from 1 October to 31 December 2026. Proposals for both Gemini North and Gemini South will be accepted this month. This is the third FT Call of 2026B. As of last month, Canada had 18.8 hours of nominal (80%-ile) time on North, and 12.2 hours on South. Availabl

4 August 2026 The North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC) is accepting applications for the ALMA Ambassadors Program (https://science.nrao.edu/facilities/alma/ambassadors-program/), with a deadline of October 2, 2026. The program provides training and up to a $10,000 USD research grant to postdoctoral researchers, senior graduate students, and early career researchers interested in expanding their ALMA/radio interferometry expertise and sharing that knowledge with their ho

4 August 2026 The JWST Cycle 6 Call for Proposals is Out! We are pleased to announce the Cycle 6 Call for Proposals for James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) General Observer (GO), Survey, and Archival Research (AR) programs. We anticipate allocating up to 7,700 hours in Cycle 6 divided proportionately among Very Small, Small, Medium, and Large/Treasury GO programs, depending on proposal pressure. Proposals are due on September 30, 2026 by 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The APT submissi

30 July 2026 Press Release NRAO had a press release last week regarding the collaboration of the NSF, NRAO and the USNO to build a pathfinder for the ngVLA. The pathfinder will focus on the VLBI capabilities with deployment across existing NSF VLBA locations as well as some new ones. The pathfinder will be integrated into the final design of the ngVLA. You can read the press release here. ngVLA International Science Conference 2026 In support of ngVLA science, a conference

30 July 2026 ALMA/NAASC Call for Meetings and Conference support The NAASC invites members of the North American scientific community to apply for funding in support of conferences and workshops that are ALMA focused or have a synergy with ALMA, and which encourage the participation of students, postdocs, and early career researchers. PI-led events (e.g. collaboration workshops) held in the US and Canada, or conferences organized at any geographical location (national or inte

June 2016 CASCA is pleased to announce the following prize winners: 2026 Martin Award: Dr. Alan McConnachie 2026 Carlyle S. Beals Award: Prof. Arif Babul 2026 Executive Award for Outstanding Service: Prof. Laura Parker 2026 J.S. Plaskett Medal: Dr. Alan Knee 2026 Qilak Prize: Drs Lawler and Boley 2026 Dunlap Award: Dr Michel Fich

June 13, 2026 The Board and Graduate Student committee of the Canadian Astronomical Society / Société Canadienne D’Astronomie (CASCA) is happy to recognise the several students, in no particular order, for exceptional research contributions during the 2026 CASCA Science Meeting at Université de Montréal. Best Oral Presentations: Board: Sarah Silverman (McGill University) — The Fate of Ice Sheets on Chaotically Rotating Exoplanets Kaitlyn Hessel (University of Victoria) — Adva

May 7, 2026 The family of Donald Charles Morton announces his peaceful passing on Sunday, April 26th, 2026, at nearly 93 years old. Don was an internationally recognised astrophysicist, accomplished mountaineer, and life-long Meccano hobbyist. He will be remembered for his enduring curiosity, commitment to excellence and detail, extraordinary perseverance, and joy when out-of-doors. Don was born on 12 June 1933 in Kapuskasing, in Northern Ontario. He grew up in North Toronto,

April 14, 2016 Town Halls and Upcoming Survey Dear CASCA colleagues, On behalf of CASCA, we invite you to participate in an important community consultation regarding Canada’s future access to very large optical/infrared telescope (VLOT) facilities. The Canadian Long Range Plan (LRP) and Mid-Term Review (MTR) have consistently identified access to a VLOT as a top national priority. For over two decades, the Thirty Meter Telescope has been viewed as the primary path to meeting

Title: by Dr Callum Dewsnap Thesis defended on October 23, 2025 Department of Physics & Astronomy, Western University Thesis advisor: Dr. Sarah Gallagher & Dr. Pauline Barmby Abstract: The properties of galaxies that host active galactic nuclei (AGNs) offer clues to the conditions that enable accretion onto supermassive black holes. A galaxy’s morphology can provide significant information on the evolutionary processes underway. By modelling the surface brightness profiles o

March 22, 2026 By/par Mike Fich (Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics, fich@uwaterloo.ca) and the Canadian CCAT team The primary mirror of the Fred Young Submillimeter telescope (FYST) was lifted into place on March 19! The project is on schedule to have telescope assembly completed in time for the formal “Ribbon Cutting” event on site on April 9, 2026. Telescope commissioning has begun with movement testing and mirror alignment. The telescope remains on track for “First Light

By Patrick Côté (NRC-Herzberg), Tyrone Woods (University of Manitoba) Detector Testing A project to test and characterize large-format CMOS, delta-doped devices for the CASTOR mission is underway at the University of Calgary. This project represents a long-term collaboration between NRC, JPL, Teledyne-e2v, Open University, UCalgary, UManitoba and CSA. The Vacuum UV Calibration Laboratory at the University of Calgary has been significantly upgraded to enable these tests, which

by Gerald Schieven and Brenda Matthews (NRC-HAA) ALMA Cycle 13 Call for Proposals The ALMA Director, on behalf of the Joint ALMA Observatory and the partner organizations in East Asia, Europe, and North America, is pleased to announce that the ALMA Cycle 13 Call for Proposals (https://almascience.org/proposing/call-for-proposals) for scientific observations is now OPEN! ALMA Cycle 13 is currently scheduled for observations from October 2026 to September 2027. Users of any n

March 22, 2026 By Eric Steinbring (Canadian Gemini Office, National Research Council Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics) A Springtime Bounty of Telescope-Time Opportunities Late March typically brings hope to Canadians that a bloom of springtime flowers is not too far off, and also that there will be many chances to plant for a new crop of telescope-time allocations: This starts with the monthly CfP for Fast Turnaround (FT) time, at noon Hawai’i Standard Time (HST) on 31 March

March 22, 2026 By Nadine Manset (Director of Science Operations, on behalf of the CFHT ‘ohana) Recently The Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) report from the December 2025 meeting held in Waimea is available online on CFHT’s website (https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/science/SAC/reports/SAC_report_Dec2025.php). Emmanuel Bertin, former CFHT Resident Astronomer, released a Python-based exposure time calculator (ETC) for MegaCam (and also WIRCam), pyDIET (pydiet.cfht.hawaii.edu). T

by Locke Spencer, Doug Johnstone, David Naylor Canadian participation in a far-infrared space astronomy mission is one of the key recommendations in both the CASCA LRP and CSA CSEW reports. The importance of Canadian involvement in the next NASA Probe (PRIMA or AXIS) was reconfirmed in the LRP MTR and the JCSA further recommended that the CSA provide statements of support for both missions in late 2025. In recognition of the importance of Canadian involvement, Locke Spencer h

December 19, 2026 The Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, IREX and l’Université de Montréal mourn the loss of René Racine. René Racine spent his life lifting our eyes to the heavens and, in doing so, lifted an entire generation of Canadian astronomy. Born in Québec City on 16 October 1939, Professor Racine’s career was defined by curiosity, craftsmanship, and a rare combination of practical engineering skill and conceptual boldness that made him a pillar of our astronomical commun

9 December 2025 The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal (UdeM), is calling for applications from undergraduate students for: Trottier Excellence Grants in Exoplanetary Research (multiple grants available) The summer internships last 4 months (May to August 2026). They constitute a unique opportunity for students at the undergraduate level to join IREx’s dynamic team and to get involved in cutting