The observatory has been designated a national historic site of Canada, as it is a world-renowned facility where many discoveries about the nature of the Milky Way were made, and it was one of the world's main astrophysical research centres until the 1960s.

[3] The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Victoria Centre, which has a long association with the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and public outreach dating back to 1914, holds free public "star parties" at the DAO on select summer Saturday evenings.

[4] These events include solar and nighttime viewing with RASC and DAO telescopes, presentations, lectures, and displays.

The centre featured interactive exhibits about astronomy, the work of the observatory and its parent organization, the NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics.

[5] The Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory Society (FDAO) was formed in 2015 with a goal of reinstating the programs terminated when the Centre of the Universe was closed.

In 1995, the observatory was made the headquarters of the NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, which operates several Canadian telescopes, both optical and radio.

Work on the non-profit charity Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory began in 2014 because of the desire of the National Research Council to deal with a single organization with respect to the Centre of the Universe, and it was formally constituted and registered in 2015.

[8][9] As of October 2022[update], the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory Director was Dr James De Francesco.