David Dunlap Observatory - Virtual Tour

0: DDO Walking Tour

1: Yellow Birch and Spring

2: North forest trail

3: Line 5

4: Meadow and Orchard Trail

5: DDO Gate

Walk up a quiet tree-lined lane toward the dome and administration buildings. The trees at the edge can be haven for birds: robins and other thrushes, Northern Flicker, Downy woodpecker, nuthatches and migrant warblers.

6: Buildings come into view

As you round the corner, the Dome and Administration buildings come into view.

7: Sundial

Given to C.A. Chant by Donalda Dunlap -- and identical sundial can be found at Donalda Farms.

8: Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

RASC members regularly bring a range of telescopes to the DDO to treat themselves and the public to views of the moon, planets, comets and other celestial objects.

9: Radio Astronomy and Ham Radio

10: Regenerating farmfields...

Follow footpaths made by deer and hikers through fields which still undulate with rows of old furrows. This habitat provides home for field mice and voles which feed red tail and coopers hawks and other raptors.

Here you are close to the centre of the DDO park. The sound of the city is muted.

11: Entering the forest

Here the trail turns north through on of the U of T Faculty of Forestry plantations. Look around for white wash on the trees or small bones and fur on forest floor. There may be owls dozing in the branches above your head. This Barred Owl was first seen at the edge of the forest on Nov 10, 2007.

12: Avenue of trees

We walk along an avenue of evergreens that is only interrupted by the occasional fallen branch. In the fall dozens of robins and chickadees gather in these woods.

13: North east meadow

Exit the forest into an open meadow that is frequented by deer. We'll turn west back toward the observatory.

14: Across the hedgerow

Hidden by long grasses, the furrows in this field will trip you if you aren't careful.

15: Look east toward Bayview

Look east and a line of houses on the east side of Bayview will stretch across much of the horizon. You are standing in spot favoured by deer. As you look toward Bayview, you see what they see.

16: Back view of Administration Building and Dome

If you are here in late afernoon, the light slanting across the dome can be quite striking and creates the illusion that the dome is ever changing.

17: Yellow Beech and Spring Trail

18: Old Observatory Lane

19: Elmslea

20: Observatory Gate House

21: North forest walk

22: Pileated Woodpecker

23: Deer grazing

24: Reptiles in the sun

25: Northern Mockingbird

Found in this clump of trees in the north-west field.

26: Winter Robins

A sizeable flock can be found in the DDO woods year round.

27: Crossing the tracks

Pedestrians can cross the tracks onto Hillsview Drive to visit DDO.

28: Butterflies and other pollinators

DDO is home to (at least) several dozen species of butterflies.

29: Radio Telescope foundations

In addition to its optical program, the David Dunlap Observatory park in Richmond Hill was the site of some of the first radio astronomy research done in Canada. The antennae are no longer there, but many of the concrete bases are still sitting in the field just east of the main administration building. The first dishes at the DDO were installed in 1956 under the direction of University of Toronto astronomer, Don MacRae.  The radio work done at DDO included the determination of "the absolute flux density of Cassiopia A at 320 Mhz" -- an important radiometric standard that helped pave the way for more advanced radio astronomy.

30: Winter view of Dome and Administration building

31: The Administration Building

32: The Great Dome

33: Dunlap Deer

34: Warbler woods

The Dunlap property is a migratory stop-over for dozens of bird species. In spring and fall, watch for a wide variety of warblers and thrushes. Woodpeckers, owls, hawks and many other species are found year round.

35: Mushroom "Fairy Ring"

36: Setting sun through the trees