Can RASC Toronto Bring Astronomy to My Group or School?

Updated

Yes. RASC Toronto (rascto.ca) offers a program described on its homepage as "Bring astronomy to your group," where you can request a visit from a team of astronomers with telescopes. This is aimed at organizations such as schools and community groups that want an in-person astronomy experience rather than attending one of the club's public events.

What the visit involves

Based on the homepage description, the visiting team brings telescopes and provides an astronomy experience for your group. The site presents this as a request-based service: you ask for a visit, and the team of astronomers comes to you.

The homepage does not spell out the full details of a visit (duration, group size limits, indoor backup plan, or cost). Those specifics would need to be confirmed through the request process.

Who it's for

The service is described for groups, and the most natural fit is:

  • Schools and classrooms
  • Community groups and clubs
  • Other organizations that want a live telescope experience for their members

If your group is simply looking for an event to attend rather than host, RASC Toronto also runs public star parties and speaker nights that are open to the public — a different option from requesting a visit.

How to request a visit

The homepage presents "Bring astronomy to your group" as a call to action, so the starting point is the rascto.ca website. The general path is:

  1. Go to rascto.ca.
  2. Find the "Bring astronomy to your group" / request-a-visit entry point.
  3. Submit your request with your group's details.
  4. Wait for the team to follow up on scheduling and arrangements.

The homepage excerpt does not show the exact form fields or contact method, so treat the steps above as the sequence rather than a description of specific menu items.

What to have ready

Because the site doesn't publish the intake details, it helps to prepare the information any scheduling team would need:

  • Type of group (school, community group, etc.)
  • Approximate number of participants and their ages
  • Preferred dates and times
  • Location and whether you have outdoor space for telescopes
  • Any accessibility or indoor fallback considerations

Other ways to connect with RASC Toronto

If a group visit isn't the right fit, the homepage also points to:

  • Public star parties — for example, a Millennium Square Public Star Party and a City Star Party at Long Branch Park focused on exploring the Moon.
  • Speaker's Night — including online-only talks, such as a session on visualizing the universe for NASA.
  • The Sky Tonight — astronomical forecasts for GTA locations plus a free monthly star map.

These are attend-as-you-are options, while "Bring astronomy to your group" is the host-a-visit option.

Bottom line

If you want RASC Toronto's astronomers and telescopes to come to your school or organization, the homepage confirms that this service exists and is request-based. Start at rascto.ca and use the "Bring astronomy to your group" entry point; confirm scheduling, format, and any conditions directly with the club, since those details aren't published on the homepage.