SPACE: LIGHT YEARS and DARK MATTER
October 3, 7:30 pm, Cobourg Columbus Centre. “The Whole History of the Universe, Abridged”
Presenter DR. KATHERINE (KATIE) MACK holds the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Astronomical data suggests that the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old. Katie’s presentation condensed the highlights into 60 minutes. Topics include the Big Bang, the early universe, expansion, the evolution of galaxies, and the ultimate fate of the cosmos.
October 10, 7:30 pm on ZOOM. “Perspectives on a Planet”
Presenter BOB McDONALD is a Canadian author and science journalist. He is the national science commentator for CBC Television and CBC News Network, and since 1992 has been the host of a weekly radio science show, Quirks & Quarks. Bob also sits on the board of Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory,
Reflecting on his exposure to the space program and interviews with Nobel-winning NASA scientists and astronauts, Bob shared how an understanding of our universe at a human scale can deepen our appreciation for our own home, the Earth.
October 20, 3:00 pm, Cobourg Rainbow Cinema. Screening of the film WILFRED BUCK
NLC presented a special screening of the National Film Board documentary about the life of Indigenous astronomer Wilfred Buck, a Top 5 Audience Favourite at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (2024)
According to Canadian Screen Award and Genie Award-winning Canadian and Anishinaabe filmmaker LISA JACKSON, “Western science is excellent at breaking things down into the tiniest parts, and Indigenous knowledge is really expert in seeing how the parts fit together as a whole, understanding that relationship, and where we, as humans, fit into the big picture.”
October 24, 7:30 pm, Cobourg Columbus Centre. “Exploring the Planets with our 5 Senses”
Presenter DR. JOHN MOORES holds the York Research Chair in Space Exploration at York University. He was a Participating Scientist on NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover mission, and contributed to missions to Saturn’s moon Titan and the Martian Arctic.
Our ancestors experienced the five classical planets of our solar system only as points of light in the night sky. Today, we know these places as worlds in their own right. John took us on a tour of the solar system to understand what it would be like to see, hear, touch, smell and even taste in the environments of our planetary neighbors.
October 29, 7:30 pm, Cobourg Columbus Centre. “Lunar Exploration and the Path to Mars”
Presenter DR. CASSANDRA MARION is the Science Advisor for the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. A life-long explorer, Dr. Cassandra Marion’s passions are the outdoors, rocks and space. She has led 13 field trips to study lunar and Martian analogue environments in the Canadian Arctic and sub-Arctic.
Canada plays a key role in the global space community’s efforts to return humans to the Moon in a sustainable way. Dr. Marion discussed why lunar exploration is a vital step and testing ground to advance human space exploration, scientific discovery and technological innovation in preparation to one day reach the surface of Mars.
November 7, 7:30 pm, Port Hope Capitol Theatre. “Why is Space so Important?”
MARC GARNEAU was the first Canadian to fly in Space in 1984, forty years ago. In addition to a lengthy and successful parliamentary career, he was President of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001-2005, and the recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1997) and three NASA Space Flight Medals (1984, 1996, 2000). Marc invited us to consider how Canada was quick to realize the potential of space from the very beginning, contributing many pioneering initiatives of which Canadians can be justly proud.
November 14, 7:30 pm, Cobourg, Columbus Centre. “Who Owns Outer Space?”
Presenter DR. MICHAEL BYERS holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at UBC. He has been a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University; Professor of Law at Duke University; Visiting Professor at the universities of Cape Town, Tel Aviv, Nord (Norway) and Novosibirsk (Russia); and Senior Global Fellow at the University of St Andrews. He is the author of International Law and the Arctic and the co-author of Who Owns Outer Space?
This talk explored the grand challenges arising from humanity’s rapid development of space, from debris and collisional cascades, to satellites interfering with astronomy and the changes caused to Earth’s atmosphere by rocket launches and satellite re-entries.