Past Speakers at the Northern Prairie Star Party
(formerly known as the Northern Prairie Starfest)
2009 Northern Prairie Star Party
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Dr. Moritz Heimpel (Department of Physics, University of Alberta) "A Dynamical Tour of Planetary Interiors." | |
| Dr. Clare Watt (Department of Physics, University of Alberta), "The Plasma Universe with Emphasis on the Sun and Near-Earth Space." | |
| Bruce McCurdy (RASC Edmonton Centre) "Space Rocks!", (focus on the Buzzard Coulee Fireball that landed near the Alberta/Saskatchewan border November 20, 2008 - initial discovery of fragments, analyses of meteorite samples and personal anecdotes). | |
| Sverrir Gudmundsson "Current State of Astronomy and the Amateur Society in Iceland." |
2008 Northern Prairie Starfest
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Dr. Carlos Lange (Canadian Scientist for the NASA Phoenix Mission) presented and discussed the latest information received from the Phoenix Mars Lander. |
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Dr. Sharon Morsink (Associate Professor of Physics, University of Alberta) gave a talk entitled "Relativistic Effects Around Massive Dead Stars." |
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Dr. Craig Heinke (Assistant Professor of Physics, University of Alberta) gave a talk entitled "Stellar Exotica in Globular Clusters." |
2007 Northern Prairie Starfest
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Alister Ling (RASC Edmonton Centre) gave a presentation entitled "Better than the Clear Sky Clock." |
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Dr. Jaymie Matthews (Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia) gave a presentation on Canada's MOST Space Mission (Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars), Canada's first space telescope. |
2006 Northern Prairie Starfest
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Dr. Richard Boyle, (NASA Ames Research Center) spoke about "The Thrill and Challenges of Human Exploration - from Polar to Space Expeditions." |
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Dr. Ian Shelton gave an overview of the construction and operation of the 8.2 m Subaru telescope on Mauna Kea (Hawaii), with which he was closely involved. Ian is best known as the discoverer of supernova SN1987a, the only naked eye supernova seen by anyone living today. |
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Bruce McCurdy (RASC Edmonton Centre) provided an enlightening explanation of the lunar standstill. |
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Dwight Hansen (RASC Edmonton Centre) gave us a run down of his 10" ultraportable Genstar telescope that he designed. |
2005 Northern Prairie Starfest
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Dr. Alan Hildebrand (University of Calgary) discussed comets and in particular NASA's Deep Impact Discovery Mission that collided with comet Tempel 1. |
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Dr. Douglas Hube (Professor of Physics, University of Alberta) discussed the 2005 Centenaries of Albert Einstein and the Province of Alberta. |
2004 Northern Prairie Starfest
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Dr. Carlos Lange (Canadian Scientist for the NASA Phoenix Mission) enlightened us on the "Phoenix Mars Lander: History and Cycle of Water on Mars". |
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Bruce McCurdy (RASC Edmonton Centre) explained the Sky Scan FM radio receiver meteor tracking project. |
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Rick Huziak (RASC Saskatoon Centre) gave an impromptu presentation on fireballs and bolides. |
The University of Alberta Space Exploration Symposium is gratefully acknowledged for sponsoring the above invited talks by Drs. Matthews, Boyle, Hildebrand and Lange.