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Saskatchewan Summer Star Party 2018
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WELCOME TO SSSP FOR 2018!
We are looking forward to this year’s star party, the 22nd SSSP! We are currently busy planning for this year's SSSP and will update this site as soon as things are firmed up.
This year the SSSP coincides with the annual Perseid's meteor shower which is expected to peak the evening of August 12-13 but should also be active the evening of August 11-12.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
We are pleased to announce our confirmed speakers for this year:
Other guests and additional information will be posted as information becomes available.
COSTS FOR THE STAR PARTY
We attempt to keep costs for the SSSP as low as possible, and for most events we operate on a break-even budget. But now and again inflation and rental fee changes catch up to us and we have to raise some of the prices. This year, we have made a few adjustments: registration has gone up by $5 per category (now $35 single, $45 couple, $55 family). Year pins are up by $1 (now $8). The barbecue is up by $2 (now $7) and the banquet is up by only $1 (now $38 adult, $24 child.) The cost of shirts and patches remain unchanged.
RESORT ACCOMMODATIONS
Our room block at the Resort runs from Thursday August 9 through Saturday August 11 nights. There is a mix of hotel rooms, townhouses (2 and 3 bedroom) and cabins (2 and 3 bedrooms). There are also a limited number of hotel rooms available for the Wednesday August 8 night.
Contact the Resort at 306-662-4477. Additional information about the Resort is available at their website.
CAMPING NEAR ROADWAYS
Due to the park’s addition of a Seasonal Campground north of the Meadows campground and the Park Overflow area just to the west, we will be having more trouble restricting white light from car headlights or park overflow campers in some of our peripheral campsites. We strongly suggest that campers using Sites M1 – M30, M68, M114 – M117 set their equipment up in the main observing area, and only use your campsites for camping. We will be doing less white light patrolling in those areas. SSSP holds the star party in the Meadows to provide campsite power, water and the service centre, and for this convenience, we do share the area with nearby non-astronomer campers. The main observing area is very dark. See the Resort/Camping section for more information.
INFORMATION FOR TENTERS
Some tenters have mentioned that some campsites are not suitable for tenting since the gravel pad area is too hard to pound pegs into and that there is no adjacent grass. These sites would be: M119 – M125, M61, M75, and some sites in the M129 – M135 range. See the Resort/Camping section for more information or inform the Registrar you are tenting.
CONTACT US:
Contact us at sssp.sk@sasktel.net or call Rick Huziak at 306-665-3392 or Les Dickson at 306-249-1091.
Check back often for new developments and announcements.
Come early and stay late if you choose. Most events take place in the Resort's Wapiti Room (WR), the Meadows Campground Observing Field (MC), the Park Amphitheatre (PA) or the Dark-Sky Campground (DC). Every day ends with viewing in the MC.
This schedule is subject to change without notice. Check the notice board at the Registration Tent for any changes.
Free time for park activities | |
21:00 - | SSSP Observing (MC) |
10:00-16:30 | Registration (MC) |
17:00-18:30 | Welcome BBQ (PA) |
18:00-19:00 | Entertainment, (PA) |
19:00-20:00 | Under Living Skies Public Lecture, Ron Waldron (PA) (public) |
21:00 - | SSSP Observing (MC) |
10:00-16:30 | Registration (MC) |
11:00-13:30 | Photo and Sketch and Art Show entry (WR) |
11:00-12:30 | Solar Observing (Interpretive Centre) (public) |
18:00-19:00 | Registration (WR) |
18:00-19:00 | Photo and Sketch and Art Show entry (WR) |
19:00-20:00 | Friday Night Talks (WR) |
21:00-23:00 | Public Star Night (DC) (public) |
21:00 - | SSSP Observing (MC) |
22:00 - | Clinic under the stars (MC) |
10:00-11:30 | Registration (MC) | |
10:00-12:00 | Kid's Program (DC Yurt) | |
10:00-11:00 | Photo and Sketch and Art Show entry (WR) | |
11:00-12:00 | Swap Table (MC) | |
12:30-13:30 | Final Registration (WE) | |
13:30- | Afternoon Talks - First Talk - James Edgar (WR) | |
14:30-15:00 | Social Break (WR) | |
15:00-16:00 | Fr. Lucian Kemble Memorial Lecture (WR) | |
16:00-16:45 | SSSP 10 and 20 Year Pins (WR) Photo and Sketch Contest Awards (WR) Volunteer Prize Draw (WR) Door Prizes - You must be present to win (WR) Group Photo (Volleyball court by Resort) | |
18:00-19:30 | Evening Banquet (WR) | |
21:00-23:00 | Public Star Night (DC) (public) | |
21:00 - | SSSP Observing (MC) | |
22:00 - | Clinic under the stars (MC) |
Free time for park activities | |
17:00 - | Potluck Supper (DC Yurt) |
21:00 - | Straggler's Observing (MC) |
Straggler's head home, SSSP officially done |
Two special prizes will also be awarded:
There are a limited number of places for the banquet. They will be allocated on a "first registered, first allocated" basis. We strongly suggest that you preorder your tickets when you register. A small number of places will be held for at-the-door registrations but only if the room limit has not yet been exceeded. We also ask you, if you find that you are not able to come to the banquet but have preordered tickets, to contact us immediately by phoning 306-280-1899. We will refund your banquet ticket costs and will allocate your tickets to people on our waiting list. If you do not contact us beforehand and you do not show up, your banquet ticket costs will NOT be refunded. See "Refund Policy" for more information.
Menu:
If you have specific dietary requirements, please contact the star party organizers by e-mail or phone.
When contacting the Resort, ask first for a room in the Star Party room block. If none are available, ask for any room that might be available. If there are no units available, contact our Registrar Rick Huziak at 306-665-3392 or sssp.sk@sasktel.net. We are maintaining a waiting list for people who wish to find accommodations in the Resort. Do NOT ask the Resort to place you on their waiting list: they do not maintain a waiting list of their own.
Note that we will have to release a portion of the unbooked rooms in our room block back to the Resort about a month before the star party. So, if you want to stay in the Resort, book your accommodations as soon as possible.
Contact the Resort at 306-662-4477. Additional information about the Resort is available at their website.
SSSP observing and clinics are held in the Meadows Campground. For the dates of August 8 through August 12, all SSSP campsites are booked directly though Rick Huziak, separate from the Registration process. The provincial Reserve-a-Site website shows these campsites are blocked out because they have been exclusively reserved for SSSP attendees – they are indeed available. Reserve-a-Site opens April 16th. See here for camping fee structure.
The Meadows has pull-through and back-in campsites for RVs or tents. Every campsite has power hook-ups, a fire-pit and a picnic table, and some have water hook-ups. There is also ample over-flow camping.
If you decide to come earlier than the official reserved days of SSSP (August 8 - 12) you will be sharing camping with non-SSSP campers, but they will all have to leave by the time SSSP begins. The campground lights will be extinguished from August 8 until the morning of August 13. If you need dark skies before that, you are welcome to observe from the Dark-sky Campground at the Observatory. The Observatory has a six guest pads and power plugs on the south side of the building. If you want to camp in the Dark-sky Campground before the star party begins, book directly with the Park Campground Office.
Camping costs Electric: $30/day, Overflow: $20/day. Camping is booked through the SSSP Registrar, but fees are paid to the Campground Office at the gate entrance on arrival at the park.
Here are the Sask Park’s campground rules: HERE
For see the current Camp Map or for further information about camping in the Meadows, click
Use the Camping Map in the tab above and pick your SSSP campsite. If the spot is not pink or black, it might be available. If the map starts to look full, don’t panic - we will find a space for you! An updated map will be posted weekly.
Email Rick Huziak at sssp.sk@sasktel.net (preferred) or call (306-665-3392) with your campsite choice. He will try to get back to you on the same day and confirm your desired booking. You may put one camper or one tent on the site if you are the owner of the site, plus an additional tent only if they are directly related family members.
Site costs are: Electric: $30/night; Non-electric: $20/night; Economy/overflow: $20/night. All site fees are payable to the Park Campground Office once you arrive at SSSP. They will have you on their reservation list. You may take any or all of these five days, paying for only the days you use.
If you intend to come earlier than August 8 or stay later than August 13, then you must book those days and pre-pay for your camping through the Sask Parks Reserve-a-Site. SSSP cannot book days outside of SSSP dates. We strongly suggest you book extra days as close to April 16 as you can (when Reserve-a-Site opens), since Meadows is a very popular campground. If you are there earlier than August 8, you may have to return to the campground office on August 8 to pay for your SSSP camping period.
All sites not booked by the first day of SSSP will be treated as rush sites, first come, first serve, and will be booked at the Registration Tent.
If you cannot attend SSSP, please let Rick know so he can cancel your booking.
CAMPING NEAR ROADWAYS
Due to the park’s addition of a Seasonal Campground north of the Meadows campground and the Park Overflow area just to the west, we will be having more trouble restricting white light from car headlights or park overflow campers in some of our peripheral campsites. We strongly suggest that campers using Sites M1 – M30, M68, M114 – M117 set their equipment up in the main observing area, and only use your campsites for camping. We will be doing less white light patrolling in those areas. SSSP holds the star party in the Meadows to provide campsite power, water and the service centre, and for this convenience, we do share the area with nearby non-astronomer campers. The main observing area is very dark.
INFORMATION FOR TENTERS
Some tenters have mentioned that some campsites are not suitable for tenting since the gravel pad area is too hard to pound pegs into and that there is no adjacent grass. These sites would be: M119 – M125, M61, M75, and some sites in the M129 – M135 range. Please inform the Registrar you are tenting.
The SSSP has sites M1 – M76, M115 - M117, M119 - M127 & M134 - M143 booked for SSSP participants.
Books these sites through Rick Huziak at
M1–M20
M21–M30
M31, M35, M38, M43, M45
M32
M33, M34, M36, M37, M39, M41, M42, M44, M46 – M49, M51 - M54, M60, M62, M63, M64, M70
M50, M64
M55, M56, M58, M59, M61, M69
M57
M66, M67, M68
Camping spots sheltered in the trees. Horizons are not all available from here, so parking telescopes elsewhere is advised.
M71, M72, M73
M74, M75, M76
M120, M122
M114 - M117, M119, M121, M123, M124
M126, M137, M138, M140, M142
M127, M134, M135, M136, M139, M141, M143
Open field camping. Unprotected from Bald Butte Road, so car headlights will be prevalent during the
Friday and Saturday night public star nights now held at the observatory.
Cars will run up and down this road from 9pm – 11pm both nights. Great horizons, except for low south.
You can also just camp in these sites and set your telescopes up for the weekend in the main grassy area of the Meadows.
Camping spots sheltered in the trees, but unprotected from Bald Butte Road, so car headlights will be
prevalent during the Friday and Saturday night public star nights now held at the observatory.
Cars will run up and down this road from 9pm – 11pm both nights. You can also just camp in these sites and
set you telescopes up for the weekend in the main grassy area of the Meadows. Great north, east and west horizons.
Camping spots sheltered in the trees. No light issues – face the Meadows grassy area. Great south, east and west horizons.
SSSP registration tent and Star-Lite Café.
Open field camping in main grassy area of Meadows. No shade, but excellent horizons in all directions.
Handicap sites with concrete pads. If you have special mobility needs, ask us specifically for one of these sites.
Open field camping in main grassy area of Meadows. No shade, but excellent horizons in all directions.
(If non-booked, the site symbol will show a pie-shape.)
Camping spots sheltered in the trees. No light issues – face the Meadows grassy area. Great south and east horizons.
Camping spots sheltered in the trees, but down a fair slope. Very shaded, but is low.
Large campers might have trouble getting down and up. No light issues – face the Meadows grassy area. Great south and east horizons.
Camping spots sheltered in the trees. No light issues – face the Meadows grassy area.
Great north and east horizons, and south horizon looking down the road.
Camping spots sheltered in the trees. May be some light issues as the next sites to the south are public sites,
though SSSP will talk to adjacent campers about the need for sheltering any lights. Great north and east horizons,
and south horizon looking down the road.
These spots are completely in the trees. If you want to be away from the crowd,
these are good spots, but there are no clear horizons; you would have to set your telescope up in the main observing
field for the weekend. It is a 1-minute walk to the observing field.
Camping spots sheltered in the trees. There are no horizons available from here, so observing is recommended
by parking scopes to the north through the trees near the playground. Note that the washroom near Site M118 no longer has a red night light.
Open field camping in main grassy area of Meadows. No shade, but excellent horizons in all directions except low south.
Camping spots sheltered in the trees. No light issues, but may be near public campers – face the Meadows grassy area.
Great north and east horizons, and west horizons.
Google map of park with markers (click on map to get GPS cordinates). |
The SSSP will honor international currency conversion rates before and at the Star Party.
Cypress Hills Park contains banking machines that issue Can$.
US and foreign residents require passports to enter Canada.
To participate, you are asked to follow the standard registration procedure - i.e. vendors must register as normal participants at the normal costs for the star party. You may in turn sell and conduct normal business within the Meadows observing field, but due to Park restrictions cannot solicit elsewhere in the park. The SSSP is not responsible for any vendors' business costs (transportation, accommodation, living, etc.) Vendors are responsible for their own arrangements, park entry and must pay standard camping fees (to the Park) and campsite power if needed, if staying in the Meadows. The SSSP is not responsible for any merchandise loss or damage. As registered SSSP star party goers, vendors are welcome to participate in all activities that they have registered for.
If you would like to donate a door prize, this will be graciously accepted & will be accordingly acknowledged, though a door prize donation is not required and is at the discretion of the vendor. On request, vendors can receive a free 1/4-page ad in the star party handout literature or for $25 can purchase a full-page ad. Ads in the SSSP handout are gray-scale photocopied and are not in colour. Formatted ads for inclusion in the printed brochure must be received no later than 15 days prior to the star party. Alternately, the SSSP will pre-package vendor-supplied product brochures in our registration folders for free if they are received no later than 15 days before the start of the star party. Approximately 200 registration packages are handed out. (Send to Rick Huziak, 127 Maple Street, Saskatoon, SK, S7J 0A2.)
In a further attempt to foster on-going good will, star party vendors will be entitled to one ad of one page or less in the Saskatoon Skies monthly newsletter, over the coming year. These ads are at no additional cost. Our current newsletter circulation is approximately 80 copies, but these are highly targeted readers & the newsletters are also on-line. All ads are subject to approval by the Saskatoon Centre Executive before inclusion in the newsletter. We will do our best to publish the ad in the month desired.
Check back often for new developments.
White light flashlights are NOT allowed! Use only red filtered flashlights, and keep them as dim as possible.
Please make sure to have your car parked in its final resting position well before darkness sets in. If you do not intend to remain in the Meadows Observing Field all night long, park and set up near to the entrance so you can leave without blinding everybody! Cars are to use their park-lights only, or be lead with their lights off by someone with a red flashlight. (This is not advised for safety reasons and to be used only in an emergency). Gate security people will have a limited supply of red flags to cover car lights. Cover the following lights: interior, back-up, license plate, trunk and headlights. Gate security people will tape red flags your vehicle lights at the gate as you arrive. Please cover windows on RVs as not to accidentally have a family member flash the crowd with white light. The most common offending light issues with vehicles are interior dome lights and uncovered backup lights coming on unexpectedly.
Red and green lasers are permitted. Do not point them horizontally at people or trailers! Do not point them at aircraft or you will be in violation of Transport Canada safety rules and can be arrested, and you will jeopardize the SSSP. Lasers will show on astrophotos if they are held in the same place for many seconds, so please use them sparingly. Lasers will be used extensively during the scheduled starwalks from 10:00pm to 11:00pm on Friday and Saturday nights.
A full set of Light Etiquette suggestions will be in the registration brochure in your registration package.
Current fees are:
For more information on Saskatchewan Parks, visit the Saskatchewan Parks web site at HERE.
The SSSP will offer complete refunds* for registration costs and prepaid activities, without a handling fee, to participants who wish to withdraw from the SSSP prior to the start of the star party and for no-show participants except as follows:
* For refunds of $25 and less, SSSP will issue you a credit for a future SSSP and will inform you of this before the next year's registration. However, we will be glad to refund the $25 or less by cheque if you request this.
In 2013, SaskPower changed the last 90 old style drop-lens cobra-head streetlights in the Park to IP-addressable flat-lens full cut-off lights that can be dimmed and turned off by the Park using an RF link. These lights can be dimmed or shut off on command. Almost all streetlights within the park are now compliant to the Dark-sky Agreement.
If observing time is desired beyond star party dates, any area within the park can be used for that activity, though you cannot camp overnight in non-designated campgrounds. You can, however, take advantage of camping and no lights in the Dark-Sky campground immediately northwest of Meadows. The campground contains 16 non-powered, unlit campsites. Since the Cypress Observatory is the home of a new observatory and Yurt classroom, some activity using red light use may occur during interpretive programs, but otherwise, the site is very dark. Eight outside power plugs and concrete pads for visitor telescopes are available for use and are located on the south side of the Observatory.
Benefits of the Cypress Hills Dark-Sky Agreement:
23rd Annual Saskatchewan Summer Star Party: August 28 - September 2, 2019
24th Annual Saskatchewan Summer Star Party: August 19 - August 24, 2020
48th Annual Saskatchewan Summer Star Party: August 17 - 22 or August 22 - 28, 2044
August 22 - Total Eclipse of the Sun - SSSP'44 is on the Centre Line!
Contact us at sssp.sk@sasktel.net or call Rick Huziak at 306-665-3392 or Les Dickson at 306-249-1091.
Registration will be opening April 12, 2018.
Step 1: | Fill out the form on the next page. If you are making additions to a previous registration/order, you can use the form again but please use the same email address. If you need to make changes to the form after it is submitted, please contact the registrar (include your registration/order number). |
Step 2: | Click on the Paypal link and enter your payment information. Credit cards and Paypal accounts are accepted. If you need to pay by cheque, still use the form to register/order and contact the registrar (please include your registration/order number). You are still welcome to print the registration form and mail it with a cheque. Send to: Rick Huziak, SSSP Registrar, 127 Maple Street, Saskatoon SK, S7J 0A2 |
Step 3: | Check your email for your confirmation message and verify eveything looks correct to you. You should receive an email with your registration/order information and a second email confirming payment after your online payment has been processed. |
Step 4: | Meet us at the registration tent to pick up your registration package and any items you ordered. |
The SSSP will honor international currency conversion rates before and at the Star Party.
Cypress Hills Park contains banking machines that issue Can$.
US and foreign residents require passports to enter Canada.
Register / Order On-Line: | |
Register / Order by Mail: |
Payment Options:
Select one of the following options and then click the "Register/Order" button to proceed:
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SUBTOTAL: $0.00 TOTAL: $0.00 |
Invoice #: |
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Total Cost: |
Items were purchased, so please use the "Buy Now" button below to proceed to
PayPal to pay your fees of .
You will be able to pay on-line using either a PayPal account or by credit card.
If you do not have a PayPal account and wish to pay by credit card, make sure to select the "Don't have a PayPal account?" link on the presented
PayPal page. You do not need to create a PayPal account to pay by credit card.
If you have any questions, or do not receive your confirmation email or payment confirmation, please email sssp.sk@sasktel.net or call Rick at 306-665-3392.
Items were purchased, total fees of .
You can send a cheque or payment to Richard Huziak, SSSP Registrar, 127 Maple Street, Saskatoon, SK, S7J 0A2, Canada, or pay at the star party. For payment inquires, contact SSSP at sssp.sk@sasktel.net or call Rick at 306-665-3392.
No items were purchased, so no further actions should be required. If you have any questions, or do not receive your confirmation email, please email sssp.sk@sasktel.net or call Rick at 306-665-3392.
The Kid's Program is being run by Jennifer Petriew with the assistance of Kim Kulak and Emily Petriew.
Jennifer Petriew is married to Vance Petriew, discoverer of Comet Petriew. Not so coincidentally, her interest in astronomy began shortly after meeting said comet discoverer 20 years ago. Jennifer and Vance have three children, and she looks forward to spending time with the SSSP kids each year to help them have fun learning about astronomy. Emily Petriew is Jennifer's daughter.
Kim Kulak is a wife and mother of a child with Autism and has a Bachelor of Education with a speciality in Early Childhood. She has worked over 20 years in a variety of settings educating and providing programs for young children including those with special needs. After a 3 year hiatus, Kim and family are attending their 9th SSSP and Kim is thrilled to be back volunteering with Jenn at the SSSP Kids Activities.
SSSP Kids... join us on Saturday morning at the Yurt Observatory to play, create and explore the wonders of our universe with other SSSP kids! We will do some crafts, play and pretend, and maybe even learn a thing or two about astronomy! I'm looking forward to having some fun with you all!!! Parents are welcome to stay and help out the very young astronomers.
This year we'll be learning about some interesting night sky objects, some ways that pictures are taken of these amazing objects and will get a chance to create a space craft to help us take pictures of spectacular things in space! (Okay, not a real space craft, but we can pretend!).
There are a limited number of places for the banquet. They will be allocated on a "first registered, first allocated" basis. We strongly suggest that you preorder your tickets when you register. A small number of places will be held for at-the-door registrations but only if the room limit has not yet been exceeded. We also ask you, if you find that you are not able to come to the banquet but have preordered tickets, to contact us immediately by phoning 306-280-1899. We will refund your banquet ticket costs and will allocate your tickets to people on our waiting list. If you do not contact us beforehand and you do not show up, your banquet ticket costs will NOT be refunded. See "Refund Policy" for more information.
Menu:
If you have specific dietary requirements, please contact the star party organizers by e-mail or phone.
Abstract
We need to look after the air, water and green spaces in our cities. So many of us now live in cities, and while we love our getaways to scenic places, we can learn to appreciate the natural areas in our urban context. We experience so much joy in the beauty of nature in our Ecosphere - the land, the water, the sky, and we don’t want to lose all this. We need to care for our home place by learning to live within nature's boundaries.
By living and working together for our own health and well being, and that of nature that sustains us, the human species will have a much healthier future. While we have begun by making the first step of awareness of the importance of environment, the most important step is to follow through with concerted actions. Our children watch us and we must be role models, not just in what we say, but how we act.
Biography
Louise Jones will illustrate these principles with examples from her career as an environmental educator. She was co-creator and the Project Leader of the Brightwater Science and Environmental Program, a residential outdoor school program for students in the Saskatoon Public School system, and established the Road Map Saskatoon Project for Sustainability. Over the years, she has received several awards for her role as an environmental leader. Currently, she is the Chair of the Northeast Swale Watchers, a Saskatoon citizens group advocating for protection of natural areas within the boundaries of our expanding city.
Abstract
This workshop, moderated by Rena Woss, will present an overview of light pollution, its impacts, why and how to fight it, and how changes in technology presents new challenges. We’ll also explore why astronomers aren’t doing more to protect their disappearing skies and find solutions to aid them in their quest.
Biography
Rena Woss is an environmentalist, an amateur astronomer and is past-president of the Lethbridge Astronomy Society. Her work of 30 years has culminated in establishing one of the finest club-owned astronomy centres in Alberta and in having the Oldman River Observatory designated an ‘Urban Star Park’. Promoting unpolluted skies has been a central focus of her work in the belief that healthy skies make for a healthy environment and a happier society.
Professor Emeritus Mel Stauffer, Department Of Geological Sciences, University Of Saskatchewan
Abstract
Although meteorites have been known about for many centuries they did not become common knowledge until the 20th century. Indeed, after a meteorite fall in the early 1800's was described by two professors from Yale, Thomas Jefferson (previously president of the USA) is reported to have said that he would “rather believe that two Yankee professors would lie, than that stones would fall from the sky”. Although the quote is probably wrong, it none-the-less expressed what would have been a common feeling at the time. So, meteorites are stones that fall from the sky. But what are they? What are they made of? Where do they come from? How do they relate to Earth? And, what, if anything, can we learn from them? These are the main questions that people who study meteorites ask themselves, and these questions form the basis for most of this talk.
Biography
I first became interested in meteorites in early March, 1960, just 2½ months before graduation (BSc), when the Bruderheim meteor lit up the early morning sky just NE of Edmonton. A couple days later, after the fall of nearly 700 meteorite fragments, one of my professors, Prof. Bob Folinsbee, hauled me out of class to go meteorite hunting with him. I found six small pieces that day, but several farmers already had buckets full. Stones from the sky; I was amazed.
Unfortunately, it was some time before I was involved with the recovery in 1981 of another rock from space, the Wynyard Meteorite. This may have been the fallout from a large fireball that lit up the noon day sky over Wynyard, Saskatchewan, on July 24th, 1922, nearly 60 years earlier. I got to name this one; I was thrilled.
Since then I have been involved with the recovery of meteorites from the 2009 Buzzard Coulee meteorite fall, and the ancient (~ 1000 AD) Whitecourt impact (not discovered until 2008).
Professor Stauffer received his Doctorate in Geology from the Australian National University in 1964. He joined the faculty of the Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan in 1965. He was promoted to Full Professor in 1975. He retired in 2005 and attained status as a Professor Emeritus.
(Written by Mel Stauffer with edits by Les Dickson)
Professor Kathryn McWilliams, Department Of Physics and Engineering Physics, University Of Saskatchewan
Abstract
Space weather researchers study how conditions in space affect the Earth's upper atmosphere, in particular the ionosphere--the electrified layer of the atmosphere. One of the most well-known effects of space weather are the beautiful displays of aurora, which we are fortunate to be able to see in Canada. How is the aurora produced? How can we monitor space weather from the ground? How can you find out when the aurora will be taking place overhead? These are some of the questions we will investigate.
Biography
Kathryn McWilliams, Ph.D., P.Eng., is the Director of the SuperDARN Canada facility - an international collaboration involving ten countries who synchronize the operation of nearly forty radars around the world. The U of S operates five of these radars, including three that operate remotely in the Canadian high arctic. These radars measure the circulation of the plasma in the Earth's ionosphere driven by space weather conditions near Earth.
(Written by Kathryn McWilliams with edits by Les Dickson)
Mr. Murray Paulson
Abstract
The SSSP is a family reunion of sorts with the many friends I have met over the years. After what seems too long a wait, it is fast approaching. This year Murray will guide you through a tour of the near sky with your binoculars in his ever-popular Binocular Star Walk. We will swing across the night sky picking up all sorts of interesting objects from clusters through to some challenging nebula. I will show you some useful tricks to help find these elusive objects. We usually finish off with a hands on exploration of our favorite binoculars with the group. Bring your favorite pair and show them off.
(Written by Murray Paulson)
Biography
CARPE NOCTEM!
I felt the starry sky calling when I was 9 years old. The moon, planets and those distant motes of light were so intriguing and these many years later I find they still fascinate me. Whether viewing the planets, a distant nebula, or a colorful double, the sky brings me home. In the 90s I discovered Meteorites and Eclipses which I fell in love with. Neither of these activities is helping the RRSPs along, so what the heck, Carpe Noctem! Murray Paulson also writes the Planets section of the RASC Observers Handbook. His family are from St. Albert, Alberta.
(Written by Murray Paulson with edits by Les Dickson)
Mr. Tim Yaworski
Abstract
"The Best Camera is the One You Have With You" is a workshop looking at all of the options of consumer camera styles (smart phone, point and shoot cameras, "bridge" cameras and DSLR/Mirrorless cameras and their uses/limitations in regards to astrophotography. The emphasis is on imaging without the aid of a telescope. This would not cover dedicated astronomical CCD cameras, rather it pertains equipment that people would be able to use in their daily lives as well.
(Written by Tim Yaworski with edits by Les Dickson)
Biography
Tim Yaworski is a professional photographer and filmmaker who has been passionate about photography for over 40 years with a focus on astrophotography for the last two. Tim is a member of the Saskatoon Centre. www.timkip.com
(Written by Tim Yaworski)
Come explore our solar system with the SSSP Kids 2018! Suitable for the young and young at heart, SSSP Kids will get to explore some of the things that make our solar system interesting and exciting! Lead by Jennifer Petriew and Kim Kulak, SSSP Kids will join in some group games, have some fun with gravity, and explore some activity and crafting stations at your own pace. Maybe you'd like to create your very own moon rock buddy or paint a pretty night scene with sparkly stars in the sky? You might get a little messy, or even a little wet, so maybe save your fancy clothes for the banquet and come ready to play! A light snack will be provided, and parents are encouraged to accompany their young children and join in the fun!
Jennifer Petriew is married to Vance Petriew, discoverer of Comet Petriew. Not so coincidentally, her interest in astronomy began shortly after meeting said comet discoverer 20 years ago. Jennifer and Vance have three children, and she looks forward to spending time with the SSSP kids each year to help them have fun learning about astronomy.
Kim Kulak is a wife and mother of a child with Autism and has a Bachelor of Education with a specialty in Early Childhood. Kim has worked over 20 years in a variety of educational settings providing programs for young children including those with special needs. Kim and family are attending their 10th SSSP and Kim is thrilled to be back this year leading the SSSP Kids’ Activities with Jen Petriew.