If you look toward the southwest as night falls this evening, just above the horizon, you’ll be facing the center of the Milky Way galaxy — about 27,000 light-years away. The first astronomer to accurately plot that distance was born 150 years ago today. He became an expert in astronomical instruments, and in the structure of the galaxy. And he was one of the founders of astrophysics in Canada. John Stanley Plaskett was born in a small village in Ontario. He worked on the family farm, then learned machining at the Edison Company in New York. Later, he was hired by the University of Toronto, where he decided to study math and physics — at age 33. Once Plaskett earned his degree, he was hired to design instruments for the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa. A decade later, he convinced the Canadian government to build a 72-inch telescope in British Columbia — the largest telescope in the world. Plaskett designed the telescope and supervised its construction, and was appointed as the first di
