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There are about the same number of as there are active . Hockey players get a lot more press than do the astronomers, and that’s too bad.

Astronomy research is a spectacular Canadian success story, in which a small community of scientists has racked up decades of major discoveries. Canadian astronomers have used government and other funding to participate in the world’s leading telescope and supercomputer projects, making discoveries about black holes, planets and galaxies at .

Why should Canada support research in astronomy? Astronomy doesn’t directly cure disease or solve environmental problems. What it does do is by reminding us of the in which our day-to-day lives are embedded.

Compared to the vast universe, we are minute creatures on a tiny planet in a typical galaxy and yet we have managed to use our minds and hands to understand many aspects of how the universe works. Every new discovery brings new questions, which serve to drive progress in physics and engineering – some of which does help to , , and – and inspire Canadians of all ages.

Canadian achievements

Canadians can be justifiably proud of our recent astronomy discoveries. The , located near Penticton, B.C., is an entirely new type of radio telescope that is revolutionizing our understanding of .

Canadian scientists and engineers for the ALMA telescope in Chile, part of the that recently produced . A Canadian-led team were the first to ever directly witness .

In 2016, McGill astronomer Victoria Kaspi was the youngest-ever researcher and first woman to , the Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal. Kaspi received the medal for her .

Mark Halpern and Gary Hinshaw of the University of British Columbia shared the , for their work to precisely determine the age of the universe. (The answer is , in case you were wondering.)

Successful collaborations

Some of the credit for Canadian astronomy success goes not only to brilliant individuals, but to a scientific community that works together. Astronomy research is enabled by technology, and the newest, most powerful telescopes are too expensive for any one scientist or university to build and operate on their own. These research facilities are designed, built and funded by huge national and international teams, and planning these large projects .

To decide which facilities show the most promise for the future, Canadian astronomers have engaged in a series of  in which the community debates and then makes a recommendation on the most exciting science questions and opportunities for the years ahead. Canadian involvement in nearly all of the discoveries and telescopes mentioned above was the result of priorities set out in previous long-range plans. As the two co-chairs of Canadian astronomy’s long-range plan for the next 10 years (2020-2030), our job is to co-ordinate the decisions on which big discoveries the nation’s astronomy community should pursue next and what telescopes will be needed to make this happen.

Science planning on such long time scales has its drawbacks as well as its advantages. International projects rely on co-operation from many partners and have complex schedules over which Canada has limited control. Canadian involvement in the was strongly recommended in the 2010 Long Range Plan and , shortly before construction was slated to commence. However, on Maunakea – a mountain – means that construction . Canadian astronomers have not previously faced such a social issue in conjunction with their science and the community is grappling with .

In the near future, Canadian astronomers are looking forward to the launch of . Canada has played a significant role in this $12-billion mission, providing that will fly on the telescope. Canadian astronomers hope to use it to study the atmospheres of planets around other stars, the most distant galaxies in the early universe and the building blocks of planets and life found between the stars.

The  is now underway with an exciting array of future possibilities to consider. These include: participation in two new currently being designed; the first observatory-class ; ; and developing the technology on planets orbiting other stars.

The process will identify the critical present and future science questions and develop a vision for what cutting-edge equipment and facilities will be needed to advance Canadian astronomy. We couldn’t be more excited.

 is the director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics at the .  is a professor of physics and astronomy at .

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