Last weekend, we attended our first ever Victoria Observatory Star Party at The Centre of the Universe. Having lived on Vancouver Island all my life, I’m not sure why it took us this long to finally attend one of these awesome free events at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory! Here’s everything you can expect at a Star Party to help you plan your visit!
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Overview of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
Home to the 106-year-old Plaskett Telescope, the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory is a National Historic Site. Across the parking lot from the observatory is a wonderful visitors’ centre named The Centre of the Universe.
Location
The Dominion Astrophyiscal Observatory is located about 20 minutes from downtown Victoria, BC, on Observatory Hill, aka Little Saanich Mountain or Wtixes. It is on federally owned land.
If you’ve ever been on Vancouver Island’s Saanich Peninsula and noticed a white dome at the top of a hill, that’s the observatory!
Address: 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, Canada
How to get to the Victoria Observatory
By car:
The observatory is best accessed by car. It’s an easy drive from downtown Victoria or the Swartz Bay Ferry terminal. Just take the Pat Bay Highway and exit at Royal Oak Drive.
If you’re coming from downtown, turn left at the lights after taking the exit, then turn right onto West Saanich Road. From the ferry/airport, turn right after the exit, then right onto West Saanich Road.
After driving three kilometres along West Saanich Road, you’ll come to Observatory Road on your right.
Proceed through the gates and drive up the 2.2 km windy road to the top.
Parking
Visitor parking lots are available at the top of the hill. There were staff directing traffic where to park when we arrived for the Star Party.
Once parked, it was a steep walk up many steps to the Observatory. For anyone with mobility issues, I’m assuming you could ask the staff if you could drive right up to the Observatory to park in the small lot up there.
By bus:
It is possible to visit by public transit bus but it is not very convenient. There is only one bus, the 83, that travels along West Saanich Road and will drop you off at the base of Observatory Road. However, it only runs a few times per day and unfortunately its schedule does not align with the Saturday Star Parties.
Also, after taking the bus, you will still need to hike up the 2.2km steep road to the top of the hill (or cycle up).
Victoria Observatory Star Party
Star Parties are held at the Victoria Observatory on Saturdays throughout the year. During the summer months of July and August, they run every week. From September to April, star parties are held once a month. Then during May and June, star parties are held twice a month.
Hours
Star parties begin at 7:30pm until 11pm (6:30pm start from November-March).
It is good to arrive early to have enough time to be let through the gate, drive up the hill, park, and walk to the Observatory.
We arrived 20 minutes early and there was a bit of a wait to be let through the gate at the base of the hill.
The first presentation starts right at 7:30pm so we just barely made it, and many others were late.
Cost
Thanks to a 100+ year tradition of public outreach at the Observatory, Star Parties are always free for the public to attend! However, donations are welcome.
Tickets
Tickets are required to attend a Victoria Observatory Star Party and must be reserved online in advance. Only 200 tickets are available for each Star Party so they go quickly.
Make sure you plan accordingly and reserve tickets once they are released to ensure you don’t miss out. Tickets are released 10 days in advance of each event, on Mondays at 5pm.
A maximum of 4 tickets can be reserved at a time. All ages are welcome.
To reserve, head to the Centre of the Universe Events page and select your desired Star Party. Once on the star party event page, you will see the option to reserve tickets at the bottom of the page (if it is within 10 days of the event).
Star Party Highlights
We weren’t quite sure what to expect when we reserved our tickets for the Star Party. I had heard a lot of great things about them over the years but just never made it to one for some reason.
Now that our daughter is 5-years-old, we are always looking for fun activities to do with her and figured this would be something she could now appreciate. It turned out that not only did she love it, but Mom and Dad loved it, too!
We were amazed to learn that the Plaskett Telescope is over 100 years old and was once the largest operating telescope in the world at the time that it was built! I never knew Victoria was such a hub for astronomy.
The Views
Once at the top of Observatory Hill, the views are absolutely stunning! We weren’t expecting such beautiful views. An added bonus!
Children’s Program
The Children’s Program runs once per event, right at opening time, inside the auditorium. It’s a great opportunity for kids (and parents) to learn about the planets and our galaxy from a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic speaker, as well as give them a chance to ask questions and get answers.
The program lasts about 30 minutes.
Children’s Dome Tour
After the children’s program, families are invited to head over to the observatory for a children’s dome tour! This was the most exciting part for many of the attendees.
We got to climb the steep staircase up to the second floor and stand beneath the enormous Plaskett Telescope. There’s also an elevator for those who need it.
Our awesome guide talked us through how the telescope operates and showed us some stunning photos that have been taken with it over the years.
Live Plaskett Telescope Viewing
On nights when the weather is good enough, live viewing is offered on the Plaskett Telescope.
Unfortunately, it was drizzling rain off and on during our visit so our guide said he could not risk opening up the telescope. He recommended coming back in August when the weather is usually at its best for live telescope viewing.
Guest Speaker Presentation
Different guest speakers present at each Star Party on a special topic, for example Galaxy Morphology or The Wombs of Pregnant Stars. Check out the Cenre of the Universe Events page for all planned speakers and topics.
The presentation is offered at 8pm and repeated again at 9pm.
Sidewalk Astronomers Telescope Viewing
Members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada set up their telescopes in the parking lot between the Observatory and Visitors Centre. You can line up at any of the telescopes and have your turn at viewing the evening sky as they walk you through it.
On the night we visited, the moon was bright and clear and looked stunning up close through the telescope.
Exhibits
Inside the visitors centre, there are all kinds of fun and educational displays for all ages.
Our daughter loved taking photos with the astronauts and playing with the felt solar system.
Planetarium
Another highlight of our visit was the planetarium. Space is limited inside, but it’s definitely worth waiting for a turn to go in.
The knowledgeable guide flew us around the solar system as we checked out and learned about different constellations. It was fascinating and felt very high-tech.
Children’s Crafts
Until 9:30pm, a variety of children’s crafts are available in the information area, with attendants at each station.
Ask An Astronomer
The information area also has tables set up with astronomers and members of the RASC who are a wealth of information if you have any questions.
We were given this neat Star Finder and taught how to use it. Our daughter loves it and it will definitely be a fun nighttime activity for us!
Gift Shop
The Centre of the Universe has a wonderful gift shop with lots of neat toys and activities for kids. Prices are not astronomical (haha) so we were happy to let our daughter choose something to take home with us.
Credit card is accepted.
All in all, the Star Parties are a wonderful fun, free and educational night in Victoria and we highly recommend it for your next family outing!
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Video Tour
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