Astronomical Landscape of Canada (ALC)

It is probable that people have been interacting creatively with the night sky from what is now known as “Canada” since the paleolithic. Interactions of peoples, places, and sky have left their marks on the landscape, in vestiges both material, and conceptual. Besides the human alterations to the landscape in response to astronomical phenomena, some astronomical events can themselves alter the terrestrial landscape, via tidal interaction, or asteroidal, or cometary impact.

The astronomical landscape to be discovered in Canada is more varied and less sparse than one might think. It includes the places associated with astronomers of the past (dwellings, places of education, research, and observation), natural features named after astronomers or astronomical phenomena, and places physically shaped by astronomical events. Much of the astronomical landscape of many regions of the country is a terra incognita, as it remains the preserve of purely local knowledge, or stands entirely unknown. There is much that remains to be discovered, and, once discovered, experienced.

What is the ALC, and what is its purpose?

The Astronomical Landscape of Canada (ALC) is intended to be a portal to sites associated with astronomy in Canada, an evolving information-rich guide mapping locations of interest. At the most basic level it will alert users to the existence of places, should they just be curious about what is out there, or should that curiosity become a desire to visit, for informed leisure, or research, or something in-between. As a cultural resource it can be sampled in passive, or active mode.

It is a curated source, but one which invites the contributions of citizen scientists for building content. We can all be involved in its construction. You can suggest a site for inclusion via the ALC form.

Models for the ALC are the Victoria County History (1899-), the UK based Society for the History of Astronomy's Survey of Astronomical History, and Charles P.T. O'Dale's Crater Explorer website. These surveys all have features in common, but they differ in their parameters, subjects, and geographical range.

What type of sites are included?

• birthplaces of important astronomers
• homes of important astronomers
• places where they were educated
• their workplaces
• natural features, or parts of the built environment named after astronomers
• places named after astronomical objects, or phenomena
• places where significant astronomical observations were made
• places where recurrent astronomical observations of cultural significance happen
• past or present observational facilities
• workshops where instruments were (or are) developed, and produced
• institutions devoted to popular education in astronomy
• institutions devoted to higher education in astronomy
• astronomical research institutes
• the seats of amateur and professional associations
• places where significant astronomical meetings happened
• institutions which research and display collections of cosmic materials (meteorites and impactites)
• museums of astronomical instrumentation
• libraries or other institutions with significant holdings of media important for astronomy (logbooks, glass plates, rare books, printed ephemera, data centres)
• comet and asteroid impact sites (meteor craters/astroblemes
• architectural monuments (buildings, landscapes, sculptures) embodying and reflecting astronomical themes (including buildings of all sorts with astronomically themed decorative or applied art)
• sites of recurrent cultural events with astronomical themes
• space-science sites (preference is given to those directly associated with astrophysics)
• sites which have figured in cultural expressions of astronomy in literature, fine, or performative arts, or sites whose names or practices refer to those cultural expressions

(this list is not exhaustive)

Cultural context

Many of the sites of science belong solely to the past, but not all; some have continued into the present as active places for the production of science. All of theses locations (of whatever period) are best viewed within multiple concurrent contexts; as part of the original cultures which brought them forth; and as cultural signifiers—either positive or negative—operating within later cultures. Think of non-hierarchically superimposed maps of cultural naming.

Cultural context has always been important, but open consideration of context has become even more important with increased calls for social justice, and demands for accountability from current institutions in light of their origins and legacies. A project such as the ALC is not immune from such considerations, for that is the world we now live in. Each generation must frame its own past. There is nothing new in this.

The starting point of the ALC is the “western” tradition which gave birth to the RASC. Given our origins, and the long trajectory of the intellectual commitments and approach stemming from them, this is the natural place to commence our story. There are other cultural astronomical landscapes mapped onto the same geography, with the First Nations’ ones obviously taking temporal precedence. But there is more context to account for beyond those of the “western” scientific culture (assuming one can even speak of it as a monolith), and the many First Nations topographies. Every culture which was formative for someone who has arrived here from wherever has its astronomical aspects, and, consequently, there is the potential for those cultures to leave their marks on the Canadian landscape as well. It should be possible for them to find a place in the ALC.

As different cultural traditions can coexist in the landscape, so they can coexist in people. An astronomer can live concurrently in more than one astronomical tradition.

Structure of the ALC

The entries are ordered by modern jurisdictions (i. province or territory; ii. city or municipality or town or township), and then alphabetically within that structuring. The entries include the following information:

1. name of the site
2. the site type (also indicated by an icon)
3. its geographical location
4. date (when known)
5. brief statement on its significance (single sentence)
6. description of its history and physical features
7. indication of whether the site is now private or public,
8. sources (bibliography)
9. illustrative material (images or maps)

Exercising good sense

If a site is on public land then it is probably permissible to visit it, but it would be prudent to check on the status of the site by consulting the responsible authority; this is almost always discoverable through a web search.

If a site is in private hands, then respecting the owners’ privacy should be paramount. There may be the option to contact them to inquire whether their site can be visited. A web search may disclose this.

Good sense and due caution should be exercised at all times when visiting a site. The advice and directions of those who run the sites should be followed at all times.

Users of the ALC visit sites at their own risk, and the RASC accepts no liability for any accident or mishap which may occur in the course of a visit.

All images on this page copyright ALC project, RASC