Scientific and Cultural Aspects of the Aurorae

We are very pleased to have Maria Volosatov presenting in person

Brief : The monoatomic and diatomic interactions with atmospheric agents, spectroscopy, electromagnetic interactions, and the coronal mass ejections & winds which cause the influx of radiation that excites and produces the aurorae. I’d also like to discuss known records of observation in both hemispheres, focusing on the Inuit perception of Aksarnirq (aurora borealis) and the Māori perceptions (and Antarctic canoe voyages) to uncover the secrets of the Tahu-nui-ā-Rangi (aurora australis).

Bio : Maria Volosatov is a University of Victoria physics and astronomy graduate. The captivating pull of astrophysics got a hold of her early on, and she believes in sharing her love for all things scientific with her community. Having done outreach with Students for Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), she hopes to give others an opportunity to develop professionally, expand their education and scientific curiosity, and enjoy the wonders of the universe. She also writes for the SEDS blog & runs an Astronomy Club at Gabriola Elementary School. If she’s not outside looking through her Dobsonian telescope, she’s probably inside reading fantasy novels, or rewatching old Spaghetti Westerns.

 ’Someone broke the sky’

Experiences from our very own Eclipse Chasers: Chris Boar and Tony Puerzer

Brief : I came across a good quote recently about Total solar eclipses. “Experiencing a 99.9999% partial solar eclipse is like witnessing a nice sunset. Witnessing a 100% solar eclipse is like watching the sky break”.

Having witnessed the 2017 Total eclipse in Oregon I agree and I’ll be travelling to just East of Montreal to hopefully experience Totality again on the 8th April. At our April meeting I’ll be reporting back hopefully with some spectacular photos/video.

Bio : Chris Boar is the current Society President and a recently retired professional photographer.

Photo above : Self portrait of Chris during the 2017 Total solar eclipse.

Bio: Tony Puerzer is a regular contributor to Sky & Telescope magazine, writing about astrophotography for beginners in a column titled First Exposure. From 2016 to 2019 he authored the popular Capturing The Universe column for SkyNews magazine, which was published by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Photo above: Self portrait of Tony during the 2017 Total solar eclipse

VIU Astronomy Student Presentation

We are very pleased to once again have Dr. Greg Arkos introduce some of his Third year astronomy students enrolled in ASTR 311/312 to present on their projects.

Brief: Vancouver Island University (VIU) students with a minimum of third year standing are able to enroll in two specialized elective courses in astronomy: The History of Astronomy (ASTR 312) and Exploring the Universe (ASTR 311).  Unlike our more general “survey style” first year astronomy offerings, the third year courses put significantly greater emphasis on a smaller set of topics but without requiring previous astronomical or mathematical background.  An important component of both courses is a 20 minute long group presentation made to the class at the end of the semester.  This short “teaching” lecture is on a topic of interest selected by each group and which falls within the scope of the material covered in class (but without repeating class material).

It has been a goal for many years to expand on the strong ties that exist between the Nanaimo Astronomical Society & VIU as well as to find ways to more directly include students from the VIU astronomy courses in NAS events.  Those aspirations finally came to fruition in 2023 as one of the top groups from the spring semester shared their ASTR 311 presentation with NAS members.  The intent was to make such cooperative ventures between NAS and VIU a regular annual event and so it is with great pleasure that I am able to confirm that VIU astronomy students will again present at the April meeting of the Nanaimo Astronomical Society…

Bio: Though space has fascinated Greg Arkos since his early childhood, a career in astronomy would only follow later in life.  Greg completed a BSc Honours degree in Geophysics at the University of Manitoba before attaining his PhD in space physics at the University of British Columbia.  A postdoctoral research position with the Space Research Group at the University of Calgary followed, eventually leading to an ongoing sessional teaching position at Mount Royal College.  Greg joined the Department of Physics, Engineering & Astronomy at Vancouver Island University in 2003 as a full-time faculty member and has been happily teaching there ever since!  His current interests include all things astronomical, science outreach and the promotion of scientific literacy.  Greg was a founding member of the award winning, VIU produced science-themed radio program `Not Rocket Science’.  On clear nights he may be found imaging astronomical phenomena of all kinds from his deck or on the roof of the physics building introducing VIU’s astronomy students to the wonders of the night sky.