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Notice Board The Dunlap Family
From Generation to Generation Perpetuating
a legacy that began with their grandparents
establishing the the David Dunlap Observatory in
1935, David M. Dunlap and J. Moffat Dunlap made it
possible to create the Dunlap Institute for
Astronomy and Astrophysics.
David, who
graduated from engineering at the University of
Toronto in 1961, and Moffat, an equestrian and
former Show Jumping World Champion, have been
tireless supporters of education, health care and
equine research at Guelph University and Seneca
and Humber Colleges. The two brothers received honorary doctor of laws degrees on June 10, 2011, and one of them —David— delivered the commencement address. |
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Archival Footage
Award-Winning 1960 Documentary
Movie featuring the David Dunlap ObservatoryThe 1960 Universe movie includes several scenes shot at the David Dunlap Observatory, and goes on for 29 minutes. It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Here's the NFB's own description from their website: A triumph of film art, creating on the screen a vast, awe-inspiring picture of the universe as it would appear to a voyager through space, this film was among the sources used by Stanley Kubrick in his 2001: A Space Odyssey. Realistic animation takes you into far regions of space, beyond the reach of the strongest telescope, past Moon, Sun, and Milky Way into galaxies yet unfathomed. |
Before the Institute: the Observatory
1935: Opening of the David Dunlap ObservatoryAt the time of this archival footage from the University of Toronto, only the Mt. Wilson Observatory hosted a larger telescope than the 1.9m telescope David Dunlap Observatory. The footage shows the nearly-complete observatory. You can also hear Clarence A. Chant, who started the Department of Astronomy in 1904, describing the telescope. |
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Early 1930s: Three Years of ConstructionBefore the Dunlap Institute, there was an observatory. Built by the University of Toronto in farmland 22km North of the University of Toronto's main campus, the David Dunlap Observatory opened in 1935, a gift from Jessie Donalda Dunlap in memory of her husband. In this silent archival footage from the University of Toronto, you can see the telescope as it's being built:
For your enjoyment, the original footage has been edited and sped up. |
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