Regular Meetings
Edmonton Centre RASC meets on the second Monday of each month (except when holidays intercede), in the Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre at the Telus World of Science (11211 142 Street). The meetings start at 19:30 and are typically two hours long.
Use the elevator to access the theatre.
Download the meeting schedule here.
Meetings are free and open to the public.
2009 Regular Meetings |
| Date |
Speaker |
| Jan 12 |
Annual General Meeting
Member's Night Presentations |
| Feb 9 |
Dr. Robert Smith (University of Alberta)
Marvels of Invention: Giant Reflectors in the Nineteenth Century
The 'Leviathan of Parsonstown', a 72-inch speculum metal reflector constructed by Lord Rosse in the first half of the 1840s, was widely regarded as one of the great triumphs of Victorian engineering. The most powerful telescope constructed to this date, it was in fact just one of a number of remarkable reflectors built by British and Irish amateurs in the middle of the nineteenth century. This talk will examine the rise and fall of big speculum metal reflectors and the astronomical contributions made with their aid. |
| Mar 9 |
Dr. Chris Herd (University of Alberta)
Meteorites: Samples from the Dawn of the Solar System
Dr. Chris Herd is an Associate Professor in the department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on meteorites from Mars and analogous rocks from the Earth, Moon and asteroids. Dr. Herd is the curator of the University of Alberta Meteorite Collection, the largest University-based meteorite collection in Canada which provides significant opportunities for research on a wide variety of samples from other planetary bodies in the Solar System, including pristine, frozen samples of the Tagish Lake (B.C.) meteorite, the iron meteorites found associated with the Whitecourt impact crater, and others. In his talk to the Centre, Chris will discuss highlights of his recent research on meteorites and provide an update on the recent Buzzard Coulee meteorite. To learn more about Dr. Herd visit his website. |
| Apr 13 |
Member's Night Presentations |
| May 11 |
Dr. Robert Smith (University of Alberta)
More on the history of the telescope |
| Jun 8 |
Member's Night Presentations |
| Sep 14 |
Dr. Albert Van Helden (visiting professor at University of Alberta) (tentative)
Galileo, Huygens, Cassini |
| Oct 19 |
Kathleen Londry (University of Alberta)
(tentative)
Astrobiology |
| Nov 9 |
Member's Night Presentations |
| Dec 14 |
Randy Kofman (University of Alberta)
(tentative)
The Whitecourt crater and models for small crater formation. |
Council Meetings
Below are the Council Meetings for 2009. Any member is welcome to attend these open meetings.
Meetings are held at the ATA building (11010 142 Street) and start at 19:15.
2009 Council Meetings |
| Jan 26 | Council Meeting |
| Feb 23 | Council Meeting |
| Mar 30 | Council Meeting |
| Apr 27 | Council Meeting |
| May 25 | Council Meeting |
| Sep 28 | Council Meeting |
| Oct 26 | Council Meeting |
| Nov 23 | Council Meeting |
