Musica Universalis

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 Fly Me to the Moon

Yes, I actually took this pic through one of the University of Toronto’s powerful, 1950′s-era telescopes after providing some space-themed flute pieces at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics most recent open house last Thursday evening. The telescopes are housed in classic, twinned observatory domes perched atop the McLennan Physical Laboratories Building (60 St. George Street, two blocks east of Spadina, just north of College), and these monthly public tours are increasingly a big hit for casual space-enthusiasts like myself. 

Urban light pollution has increased since these intriguing downtown telescopes were installed; however on a clear night the viewing of heavenly bodies can be spectacular, as you can see here! In addition to the monthly open house – held on the first Thursday evening of each month throughout the year – there’s a handful of other free special events that are open to the public.  During Earth Hour, for example, the telescopes were made available to the public to take advantage of the lights being dimmed across the GTA. Unfortunately the skies were overcast that evening, but that didn’t stop dozens of people to drop by and mill around the open-air balcony, enjoying the night-time air and extraordinary views of the city from this unique 17th storey vantage-point.

It wasn’t so long ago that there were a scant 20-30 people showing up for these free public tours, but recently its practically standing room only in the large lecture hall, with audiences of close to 200 showing up! Word is clearly getting out about this wonderful community service offered by U of T, and it’s wonderful to see young families as well as school and scout groups in the mix…and I don’t think it’s just the free Timbits that are up for grabs after the lecture!

The lectures that precede access to the telescopes are consistently engaging and informative, even for amateur astronomists like myself. In collaborating with Bryce and his friendly team of graduate students who volunteer happily to coordinate the roceedings, my contribution is to provide background music in the wonderfully resonant hallway outside the domed observatories. After the 50-minute presentation and slideshow, as you come up the stairs from the elevators or wait your turn to peer through one of four telescopes, you might very well hear selections from David Bowie’s Space Oddity,  or the majestic theme of Jupiter from Holst’s The Planets.

Music and the heavens may seem like an odd juxtaposition, but they are actually closely linked in history. Ancient Greek, Indian, and Middle-Eastern scholars explored profound, even mystical connections between music and the movements of the planets and stars…you know, the Music of the Spheres, or, as it was originally called Musica Universalis. 

Hope to see you on May 7th for the next Thursday night viewing, or perhaps even on Saturday, May 2nd for a special evening that will pay tribute to the fact that this is International Year of Astronomy. Check out the schedule of free public tours presented by U of T’s Astrophysics and Astronomy Department here, and just check these directions if you, too, want to fly to the moon!