BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Mississauga Centre - ECPv6.15.11//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Mississauga Centre X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://rasc.optunia.me X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Mississauga Centre REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20210314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20211107T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250902T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250902T170000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20250425T192743Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250619T165225Z UID:4675-1756800000-1756832400@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Public Star Party at The Riverwood Conservancy DESCRIPTION:Public Star Party at The Riverwood Conservancy \nPlease register on the Riverwood website URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/public-star-party-at-the-riverwood-conservancy-10/ LOCATION:Riverwood Park\, Mississauga\, 4300 Riverwood Park Lane\, Mississauga\, Ontario\, L5C 2S7\, Canada CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/starparty_banner.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250627T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250627T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20250408T141109Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250616T023005Z UID:4639-1751054400-1751061600@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - The Hunting Outbursting Young stars Citizen Science Project (HOYS) DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nThe talk will give a general introduction on the formation of stars and planets. I will show how we are using data from amateur telescopes to monitor the brightness of 1000s of young stars to study their properties. A few selected recent results will also be discussed. At the end I will give some details how people can participate in our project. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio:  After completing his degree in Physics at the Universität Leipzig in Germany\, Dr Dirk Froebrich went on to study for his PhD at the Universität Jena. From Germany\, he moved to a researcher position at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and was appointed Lecturer in Astronomy/Astrophysics at the University of Kent in 2009. In 2023\, he was appointed Reader in Astronomy/Astrophysics at the University of Kent. \nDr Froebrich’s main research areas are young protostars and their outflows\, structure and properties of molecular clouds and the formation and evolution of star clusters. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Banner Credit:  https://hoys.space/ \n  URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-tba-5/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/hoys_citizen_science.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250523T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250523T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20250218T032724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250505T152217Z UID:4439-1748030400-1748037600@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Ivan Semeniuk - MYSTERIES OF THE COSMIC DAWN DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nWhen the James Webb Space Telescope was launched\, astronomers looked forward to peering further into space than ever before\, and to witnessing the cosmic dawn — the epoch when the first galaxies emerged and set the stage for the universe as we know it today. What happened next was a surprise. Instead of baby pictures\, JWST sent back images in which some galaxies looked more massive and developed than expected\, apparently straining the ability of cosmological theories to account for their emergence in such a short time. Since then\, more data have accumulated and the interpretation has become more nuanced but no less interesting. In this overview of JWST’s initial findings and ongoing discoveries\, Ivan Semeniuk embarks on a journey to the cosmic dawn and offers a journalist’s perspective on what it’s like to cover a scientific story that is changing as its being told. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio:  Ivan Semeniuk reports on science for The Globe & Mail. A veteran journalist in print\, online and broadcast media\, his stories have informed Canadians about topics as diverse as space exploration\, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. His past roles include U.S. news editor for the journal Nature\, North American bureau chief for New Scientist magazine and producer and columnist with Discovery Channel. Prior to working in science media\, Ivan was an instructor and researcher at the Ontario Science Centre where he developed exhibits and programs and oversaw the Centre’s planetarium. His work has garnered several awards including the Royal Canadian Institute’s Sandford Fleming medal for contributions to the public understanding of science. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Banner Credit:  Background by Rick Veregin (NGC6820).  James Webb graphic form NASA URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-2025-05/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/mysteriesOfTheCosmicDawn.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250425T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250425T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20240722T180655Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250421T233031Z UID:3985-1745611200-1745618400@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Canada’s Lunar Rover Mission Update DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nThe talk will focus on Canada’s Lunar Rover Mission\, including a background on lunar exploration\, Canada’s role in this international endeavour and the progress made so far on the development of the rover. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Perry Edmondson  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Perry is a life-long space enthusiast and avid supporter of manned and robotic space exploration. He has over 28 years of experience in the Canadian space industry working on commercial and government space projects in various technical and management roles. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa\, Ontario\, Canada in 1996 followed by a Master’s degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles\, California\, USA in 2011 and is a licensed Professional Engineer. He is also an alumnus of the International Space University’s Space Studies Program (2005). For the past 7 years as Program Manager at Canadensys\, he has managed numerous space mission proposals\, concept studies and technology development projects for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)\, primarily related to lunar rovers. He is currently managing the development of CSA’s Lunar Rover Mission (LRM) atCanadensys. \nBanner Credit: Canadian Space Agency URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/canadas-lunar-rover-mission-update/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CSA_Rover.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250321T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250321T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20250108T012712Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250304T162028Z UID:4348-1742587200-1742594400@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - New Observatory DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis – Reconnecting Students to the Cosmos with Experiential Learning\nAbstract: Astronomy education is losing its connection with the night sky. Urbanization\, automation\, and computerization have all made it less and less likely that a typical astronomy undergraduate will use a telescope as part of their training. Most undergraduates at big urban campuses use archival or simulated data in their courses\, rather than learning to make their own observations. At the University of Toronto\, we are trying to change this. As part of a recent partnership with the RASC Toronto Centre\, we have constructed a new 0.5-m observatory at the E. C. Carr Astronomical Observatory near Collingwood. For the first time in more than 15 years\, our students can make overnight observing trips to a real telescope. They can physically interact with a research-grade telescope at a dark site\, learning how to handle equipment and how to find their way around the sky. They also have the chance to interact with the real experts on the night sky—RASC members! In this talk\, I will report on the first year using the new telescope with students\, and on other experiential learning initiatives at U of T that aim to connect students directly with the sky. I will warmly welcome discussion with the audience about pathways for keeping students in touch with the cosmos. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Dr. Michael Reid is an Associate Professor\, Teaching Stream in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. He specializes in developing astronomy courses that make complex astronomical ideas\, from the Big Bang to alien life\, accessible to everyone. He’s passionate about sharing the science and wonder of astronomy with all audiences. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-tba-2/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250221T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250221T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20250108T013146Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T031737Z UID:4357-1740168000-1740175200@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Annual Meeting & Speaker Night - Under the Sea: An Update on Space-Based Exploration of Jupiter’s Ocean-Bearing Moons. DESCRIPTION:Youth Club – 7:00pm – 7:45pm\nThe Annual Meeting will commence after the Speaker Presentation ~ 9:00pm\nSpeaker Presentation @ 8:00pm:\nUnder the Sea: An Update on Space-Based Exploration of Jupiter’s Ocean-Bearing Moons. \nIn this talk\, I will provide an overview of NASA’s Clipper and ESA’s JUICE missions to the Jovian system and discuss the motivation for the search for life in these seemingly-unlikely locations. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Robin Metcalfe is a professor in the Division of Natural Science at York University\, where she has been teaching astronomy for over 25 years. Robin’s PhD research pertained to extragalactic astronomy but her current interests are in the search for life beyond Earth and the implications of such a discovery on humanity. Through her teaching\, Robin shares her passion for the night sky and the outdoors. She teaches students to appreciate what the night sky has to teach us\, to gain perspective from our place in the Universe\, and to value our precious planet Earth. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Banner Credit:  NASA URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-tba-3/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/space_missions.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250124T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250124T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20241122T160502Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250108T200720Z UID:4199-1737748800-1737756000@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:The unreasonable simplicity and complexity of black holes -- Prof. Hari Kunduri DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nThe unreasonable simplicity and complexity of black holes \nBlack holes are the one of the best examples of how investigating the extreme limits of a theory can lead to real physical predictions that can be ultimately verified.  Truly\, they must be believed in to be seen. In this talk I will give a short introduction to the geometric ideas underlying general relativity and how black holes emerge from it. I will explain why their classical description is to simple\, but their quantum description poses many interesting problems that continue to challenge theoretical physicists today. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio:  Dr Kunduri completed his undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics at the University of Toronto and then obtained his Ph.D in 2007 from the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge. Following this he held postdoctoral fellowships at the Universities of Nottingham\, Cambridge\, and Alberta before taking up an assistant professorship in mathematics at Memorial University in St John’s\, Newfoundland. He joined McMaster University as an associate professor in Mathematics and Physics in 2022. His research focusses on the mathematical theory of black holes in general relativity.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Banner Credit: Wikipedia URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-with-prof-hari-kunduri/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/black_hole_wikipedia.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241122T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241122T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20241104T170404Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241124T184817Z UID:4169-1732305600-1732312800@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night: Asteroids and Spacecraft Missions to Asteroids DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nInterest in spacecraft missions to asteroids has been steadily increasing in recent years. The talk will start with an introduction to the fundamental characteristics of asteroids and the reasons behind the current interest. This will be followed by a description of the past and current asteroid missions. One of the necessary elements in designing an asteroid mission is the understanding of the dynamical behaviour of the spacecraft in the vicinity of the asteroid. This behaviour can be quite complex and sometimes very different from that around a large body such as the Earth or another planet. This is so because the highly irregular shape of an asteroid along with its rotational state can lead to a gravitational field that can be significantly different from the standard inverse square field. A brief discussion of the dynamics of a spacecraft orbiting either a single asteroid or a binary asteroid system will be presented. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio:  Prof. Arun K. Misra is currently the Thomas Workman Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical Engineering as well as a member of the Institute for Aerospace Engineering at McGill University in Montreal. His research interests are in the areas of spacecraft dynamics and control\, tethered satellites\, space debris and space robotics. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) as well as of the American Astronautical Society (AAS). He has been elected to the International Academy of Astronautics and to the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He is a Co-Editor of the international journal Acta Astronautica. He has received several awards such as the Dirk Brouwer Award of the American Astronautical Society and the Distinguished Service Award of the International Astronautical Federation. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Banner Credit:  NASA URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-asteroids-and-spacecraft-missions-to-asteroids/ LOCATION:DV2080 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/banner_asteroid_missions.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241018T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241018T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133005 CREATED:20240919T231016Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241104T170032Z UID:4075-1729281600-1729288800@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:In the footsteps of Edmond Halley - Dan Falk DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nHalley’s Comet has become so well known that it overshadows the English astronomer’s other work — but Edmond Halley (1656-1742) made important contributions to many branches of science. He worked out the size and shape of the Earth\, as well as the size of the solar system; he mapped the Earth’s magnetic field\, and studied the tides and monsoons; he tried to solve the problem of measuring longitude at sea; he predicted eclipses. And he was no couch potato: Halley sailed to St. Helena\, a remote island in the South Atlantic\, to chart the southern stars. On a recent visit to England\, Dan Falk walked in Halley’s footsteps in an effort to learn more about his life and legacy. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio:  Dan Falk is a science journalist and author with a particular interest in astronomy and physics. His freelance writing credits include Smithsonian\, Scientific American\, New Scientist\, Discover\, Undark\, Nautilus\, Quanta\, and many other publications. He’s the author of three popular science books: The Science of Shakespeare\, In Search of Time\, and Universe on a T-Shirt. He’s also worked extensively in radio\, and co-hosts a podcast called BookLab\, which reviews popular science books. As well\, asteroid “20039 Danfalk” is named after him. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Banner Credit:  Edmond Halley – Public domain image -wikimedia.com; Comet: March 8\, 1986 by W. Liller\, Easter Island; Wikipedia URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/in-the-footsteps-of-edmond-halley-dan-falk/ LOCATION:DV2080 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/banner_oct_18_2024_halley.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240920T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240920T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20240819T004429Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240904T131925Z UID:4009-1726862400-1726869600@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Climate conditions on Mars - Alex Innanen. PhD Candidate. York University DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nMartian methane has been an intriguing mystery since its first detection 20 years ago. Since then\, we’ve uncovered a seasonal cycle and seen occasional methane plumes\, however the origins of this gas remain unclear. We can study methane here on Earth to learn about how it might behave on Mars\, and to figure out how to study it on the red planet. This talk will give a history of methane detection on Mars\, the questions that still need to be answered\, and how spending three weeks in the Canadian arctic might help us answer some of these questions. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Alex is a planetary scientist completing their PhD at York University studying the martian atmosphere. They are a collaborator on the Curiosity rover and take part in science operations planning as well as being a lead on the environmental science team. Alex has also been helping to develop an instrument which will study the origins of mysterious Martian methane. In addition to their studies\, Alex is a member of the organising committee for ComSciConCAN\, a science communication workshop for Canadian graduate students. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Banner Credit: https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-deep-mars-colony-93c2290d5733 URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/climate-conditions-on-mars/ LOCATION:DV2080 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mars_banner.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240621T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240621T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20240515T223749Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240605T153154Z UID:3726-1719000000-1719007200@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:To Bennu and back: The OSIRIS-REx mission and the significance to Canada DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nThe OSIRIS-REx mission is a NASA-lead mission to a carbonaceous Near-Earth Asteroid Bennu and return the sample back to Earth in September 2023. An extended mission will take the spacecraft into orbit around near-Earth asteroid Apophis in 2029. OSIRIS-REx was launched on September 8\, 2016 and rendezvoused with Bennu on December 3\, 2018. It then spent a significant time analyzing the surface of the asteroid\, which several instruments\, including OLA a Canadian instrument. On October 20\, 2020 OSIRIS-REx touched down on Bennu and successfully collected a sample. As part of Canada’s contribution to the mission\, it will receive 4% of the returned mass\, for which we are actively preparing for. As the initial letter in the acronym OSIRIS-REx signifies one of the core mission objectives is to return a sample of an asteroid to help us better understand the origins not only of the solar system but perhaps also ourselves. The material returned is expected to enable scientists to learn more about the formation and evolution of the solar system\, its initial stages of planet formation\, and the source of organic compounds that led to the formation of life on Earth. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Dr. Tait is the Senior Curator of Mineralogy and oversees all the collections and research programmes related to meteorite\, gem\, mineral and petrology at ROM. She is also a cross-appointed Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto. Dr. Tait started studying geology at the University of Manitoba\, and although many aspects of geology interested her\, her second-year mineralogy course stuck out as her favorite. It gave her the opportunity to learn about different types of minerals\, how to identify them\, and the chemical formulas that apply to each of them. She leads a research program employing diffraction and spectroscopy to characterize phosphate and phosphide minerals and analog synthetic phases at ambient and extreme conditions in terrestrial and extraterrestrial materials. Her program currently has a strong focus on Martian meteorites\, but she is interested in rare achondrites and lunar samples. She is a member of the Mars Sample Return Campaign group\, a joint NASA-ESA group which is planning for the return of Mars samples in the 2030s. She is also a co-investigator on the science team for the Canadian instrument OLA on the OSIRIS-REx mission. \nPhoto credit: ROM/Paul Eekhoff \nBanner Credit: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/osiris-rex.html URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/to-bennu-and-back-the-osiris-rex-mission-and-the-significance-to-canada/ LOCATION:UTM Davis (DV) 3140 CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/osirus_rex.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240524T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240524T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20240311T212618Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240321T192305Z UID:3539-1716580800-1716588000@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - John E. Moores - Our Celestial Rosetta Stone DESCRIPTION:JOHN E MOORES\, York University\nOur Celestial Rosetta Stone:Exploring our Family of Planets to Understand Processes Across the Cosmos \nIn the past 30 years\, telescopes in space and on the ground have discovered thousands of extrasolar planets\, providing us with a representative sample of the worlds that orbit other stars in our galaxy for the first time. However\, our knowledge of these planets is limited to no more than a few datapoints for each one by the vast distances that separates us. Yet\, though these places live mainly in our mind’s eye\, we can construct remarkably accurate pictures of the processes which dominate their environments. We can do this because of our understanding of planetary processes that we have gained through 62 years of robotic solar system exploration. This hard-won experience\, like a celestial Rosetta Stone\, allows us to translate our sparse information about the exoplanetary realm into the language of our familiar solar family of planets. However\, unlike the famous artifact\, we can still write new chapters to the translation. Exoplanets tell us about the full diversity of worlds and their circumstances while robotic space exploration missions consider a single representative world from that set up close. Thus\, exoplanetary astronomy and solar system exploration are disciplines in dialogue. By deeply interrogating our nearest neighbors we can expand our understanding of planets everywhere. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n John E Moores is the York Research Chair in Space Exploration and the Director of the Technologies for Exo/Planetary Science NSERC CREATE. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars\, Artists and Scientists and the recipient of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute’s 2022 McCurdy Award. John holds a B.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in Planetary Science. An author on nearly 80 peer reviewed publications in planetary science\, John has also been a member of five NASA and ESA-led space mission teams. The contributions of his research group to robotic space exploration have been recognized with sixteen NASA group achievement awards. His first popular science book\, Daydreaming in the Solar System\, co-authored with colleague Jesse Rogerson\, will be published by the MIT Press in October. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This will be an in-person meeting only. \nPhoto by Shakeel Anwar \n  URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-john-e-moores/ LOCATION:DV3130 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/saturn_jupiter_shakeel.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240426T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240426T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20240311T212139Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240422T020822Z UID:3528-1714161600-1714168800@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Jellyfish in the Sky: Ram-Pressure Stripping in Galaxy Clusters DESCRIPTION:Jellyfish in the Sky: Ram-Pressure Stripping in Galaxy Clusters\n\nGalaxies are shaped by the environments around them\, resulting in an infinite variety of shapes\, colors\, and dynamics.  Galaxy clusters are one of the most extreme environments in the universe\, whose member galaxies are transformed by the cluster as they fall into its gravitational field. When encountering these dense environments\, interactions with hot gas between members of a cluster can push gas out of a galaxy in a process called ram-pressure stripping\, which results in a metamorphosis into a jellyfish galaxy before shutting off star formation. Jellyfish galaxies keep their stars and dark matter untouched\, but the gas is pulled away from the galaxy resulting in a morphology similar to jellyfish tentacles – beautifully marking the transition between an isolated galaxy and a member of a cluster. This talk will discuss the processes surrounding ram pressure stripping and the dance of galaxies\, dark matter\, and intra-cluster gas\, and will include an interpretive dance performance! \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Dr. Leo Yvonne Alcorn is a postdoctoral researcher at the David A Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at University of Toronto and received her doctorate from Texas A&M University in 2019. Her research focuses on all aspects of galaxy clusters\, but particularly the effects of the cluster environment on the properties of their member galaxies. She is expanding her areas of expertise into astronomical pedagogy and the relationship between astronomy and speculative fiction. In her free time\, she screams into the abyss of the night sky\, reads and writes tomes of horror and wonder (she is a cosmic horror fiction enthusiast)\, and dutifully serves her two feline companions\, Eris and Kobu. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This will be an in-person meeting only but will be available on our website a few days later. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/jellyfish-in-the-sky-ram-pressure-stripping-in-galaxy-clusters/ LOCATION:UTM Davis (DV) 3140 CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/galaxy_shape.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240322T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240322T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20240227T210440Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240311T211329Z UID:3432-1711137600-1711144800@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Event - Astrosleuthing an Aurora: Robin Metcalfe DESCRIPTION:Historical records as old as the first millennium BCE contain reports of mysterious glowing lights in the night sky\, some of which have been attributed to aurorae. But how do we know that celestial phenomena described vaguely as an “unusual red glow”\, “a pre-dawn rainbow” or “a five-coloured light” can definitively be connected to auroral activity? In this talk\, I will explain the science behind the production of an aurora – from its origins at the Sun’s surface to the light show in Earth’s atmosphere – and in the process we will see how the evidence left behind by an aurora can be used to sleuth out its connection to ancient records.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Robin Metcalfe is a professor in the Division of Natural Science at York University\, where she has been teaching physics and astronomy courses for over 20 years. Robin’s PhD research pertained to extragalactic astronomy but her current interests are in the search for life beyond Earth and the implications of such a discovery on humanity. Through her teaching\, Robin shares her passion for the night sky and the outdoors. She teaches students to appreciate what the night sky has to teach us\, to gain perspective from our place in the Universe\, and to value our precious planet Earth. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This will be an in-person meeting only. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-event-astrosleuthing-an-aurora/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Aurora_banner_2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240223T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240223T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20240207T191335Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240219T211449Z UID:3410-1708718400-1708725600@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night / Annual General Meeting DESCRIPTION:A short presentation followed by the Centre’s 2023 Annual General Meeting \nSpeaker : Randy Attwood\, President\, Mississauga Centre \nTopic: Some recent solar eclipses. \nWith the April 8 solar eclipse fast approaching\, the speaker will look back at some past solar eclipse many RASC members have witnessed. \nAnnual General Meeting – Members can download the Agenda\, Financial information\, 2022 AGM minutes\, 2024 Council Slate and Secretary’s Report here:  MRASC AGM 2023 Meeting  (Members only – password required) \nZoom info\nMeeting Link \nMeeting ID:  889 0586 7458 URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-annual-general-meeting/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/230623142359-05-solar-eclipse-2017-file-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240126T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240126T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20231013T132411Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240122T233625Z UID:3107-1706299200-1706306400@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:The Search for Life on Mars: NASA's Perseverance Rover Mission DESCRIPTION:The Search for Life on Mars: NASA’s Perseverance Rover Mission\nThe talk will provide an overview of the goals of the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission\, progress thus far\, and plans for returning samples from Mars. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Short Biography of Chris Herd \nChristopher (Chris) Herd has had the dream of studying rocks from Mars since the age of 13. After an undergraduate degree in Geological Sciences from Queen’s University in Kingston\, Canada\, he studied meteorites from Mars for his PhD at the University of New Mexico\, and then worked at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Since 2003 he has been a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. His research includes studies of meteorites of a variety of types\, as well as ways of curating meteorites and future returned samples under cold and clean conditions. He is the curator of the University of Alberta Meteorite Collection—the largest university-based meteorite collection in Canada\, and home to the world’s only meteorite curation facility that operates at cold temperatures. He is a Returned Sample Science participating scientist in the Perseverance rover mission.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This is an in-person meeting at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Dr. Herd will be joining us via ZOOM. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/the-search-for-life-on-mars-nasas-perseverance-rover-mission/ LOCATION:DV2072 William Davis Building UTM CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/search_for_live_mars.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20231124T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20231124T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20231026T183052Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231111T220157Z UID:3125-1700856000-1700863200@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Dr. Matthew J.O Svensson / The Artemis Program and the 2023 Expedition to Kamestastin Lake\, Labrador DESCRIPTION:Talk Synopsis\nSince astronauts first explored the Moon during NASA’s Apollo program\, space exploration has been solidified as a crowned jewel of national achievement\, a symbol of technological advancement and international cooperation. NASA’s Artemis program was established in 2017 and its inaugural flight\, Artemis I\, performed an uncrewed flyby of the Moon in 2022.  With the planned launches of Artemis II and III in 2024 and 2025\, respectively\, the return of humans to the Moon is forthcoming. Artemis II will fly the first woman and the first Canadian to the Moon\, performing a flyby and returning to Earth. Subsequently\, Artemis III is planned to facilitate the first landing of humans on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972. In preparation of this endeavor\, a multinational and interdisciplinary team of astronauts\, scientists and engineers visited the Kamestastin (Mistastin) Lake impact structure in Labrador\, Canada\, in early September 2023. The rocks at Kamestastin Lake are mainly anorthosite\, a relatively rare rock-type on Earth\, but a rock-type that comprises most of the Moon. Additionally\, by virtue of also being an impact structure\, Kamestastin Lake is an ideal training ground for lunar exploration. Guided by members of the Innu Nation\, the team explored key sites at this impact structure\, trialing lessons and exercises with astronauts in the field. Here\, we provide an exposition of this journey\, an important step in the historic return of humans to the Moon. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Dr. Matthew Svensson is a planetary scientist with a passion for exploring the origins of life and the resources of the solar system beyond Earth. Matthew’s fundamental training is in geology\, focused on the impact cratering process and the nature of the rocks and minerals that it creates on the Earth\, the moon\, and Mars. He studies how diverse environments created in the aftermath of impact events\, such as crater lakes and hydrothermal systems\, can be suitable for microbial life and explores the many possible roles of clay minerals in this process. Matthew also contributes to refining workflow strategies for astronaut-based geological surveys of the lunar surface and for rover operations on the moon and Mars. Contributing a perspective grounded in geology\, Matthew endeavors to advance our understanding of life and to push the frontier of crewed solar system exploration. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-dr-matthew-j-o-svensson-the-artemis-program-and-the-2023-expedition-to-kamestastin-lake-labrador/ LOCATION:DV2082 William Davis Building UTM\, 3359 Mississauga Rd\, Mississauga\, Ontario\, L5L 1C6\, Canada CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/mistastin_impact_crater_Charles_O_Dale.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20231027T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20231027T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20230810T175905Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230810T180548Z UID:3001-1698436800-1698444000@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Dr. J. Luna Zagorac DESCRIPTION:What we can’t see in the Universe (and why it might be fuzzy)\nSynopsis: Most people look up at the night sky to admire its host of shiny\, glittering objects; and yet\, it’s really the stuff we don’t see that’s shaping our cosmos. Tune in to hear about how so-called dark matter is instrumental in building galaxies and why some scientists think it might be fuzzy. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Luna Zagorac is a postdoctoral researcher at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo\, ON. Luna received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2022\, where her dissertation focused on computer simulations and observational signatures of ultralight (or fuzzy) dark matter. When not thinking about the things we can’t see in the Universe\, Luna works on mapping Ancient Egyptian diagonal star tables to observational astronomical data. Apart from research she enjoys science communication and writing for astrobites.org\, playing video games\, and roller skating. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-dr-j-luna-zagorac/ LOCATION:DV2082 William Davis Building UTM\, 3359 Mississauga Rd\, Mississauga\, Ontario\, L5L 1C6\, Canada CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/black-hole-space-cosmos.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230922T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230922T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20230521T140735Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230913T010915Z UID:2812-1695412800-1695420000@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Alfred Ng (CSA) DESCRIPTION:Understanding Lunar Gateway Orbit\nThe Lunar Gateway will be placed in Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO). This presentation will explain to the audience why this is a fascinating choice. The presenter will walk through the audience first in the basics of Keplerian orbits. He will introduce concepts of halo orbit\, Lagrangian points\, delta-V and station keeping. To make the presentation accessible to all\, no mathematical formulas will be used. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Short Biography of Alfred Ng \nAlfred Ng obtained his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in 1992. He joined the Canadian Space Agency as the Research Scientist the same year and he is currently Deputy Director in the Engineering & Capability Demonstration Directorate. He served for 6 years as the Chair of International Astronautical Federation Astrodynamics Committee. He is also a member of International Academy of Astronautics. Currently\, he is managing Stratospheric Balloon program and he is also the Technical Lead on Canadian CubeSat Project. He has authored and co-authored 14 journal publications and over 45 conference papers. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This is an in-person meeting at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Dr. Ng will be joining us via ZOOM. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-alfred-ng-csa/ LOCATION:DV2082 William Davis Building UTM\, 3359 Mississauga Rd\, Mississauga\, Ontario\, L5L 1C6\, Canada CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/lunar_gateway_orbit.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230623T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230623T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20230508T002937Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230528T165123Z UID:2779-1687507200-1687557600@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - The Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts DESCRIPTION:For over a decade enigmatic\, extragalactic flashes called fast radio bursts (FRBs) have defied a definitive explanation for their origin. Lasting a fraction of a second but releasing more energy than our sun does over several days\, these highly energetic events can be detected out to cosmological distances. Although surprisingly abundant\, occurring somewhere on the sky at least once every minute\, their detection is non-trivial and requires specialized radio telescopes with digital systems that are capable of sifting through terabytes of data on subsecond timescales. One of the premier instruments for detecting these events is the FRB survey operating on Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME/FRB). Detecting FRBs at an unparalleled rate of a few per day\, CHIME/FRB has accumulated thousands of FRB detections in only its first few years of operations. After a brief overview of the CHIME/FRB instrument\, I will summarize some of the key discoveries made from these observations. I will detail how such a large sample of detections has not only enabled a statistical study of the FRB population as whole but also provided a subsample of special events that are particularly informative for the nature of these mysterious sources.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bio: Dr. Ryan Mckinven completed his PhD at University of Toronto and is now a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University. He works within the CHIME/FRB collaboration on the detection and analysis of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs)\, specializing on the analysis of polarized signals of FRB sources and helping oversee the daily operations of the instrument. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This meeting is being held on Zoom only. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-the-mystery-of-fast-radio-bursts/ LOCATION:Zoom meeting CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/feature_chime_cropped.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230526T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230526T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20230328T185217Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230521T140127Z UID:2651-1685131200-1685138400@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Ryan Cloutier DESCRIPTION:Inhabitable Worlds:\nAlthough we are likely still decades away from discovering signs of life on worlds outside of our own solar system\, much progress is being made today to identify the best potential candidates for hosting such life. In this talk\, I will discuss much of what we currently know about these so-called exoplanets and how we know it. I will then highlight the steps that will be taken in the not-so-distant future to characterize the conditions on potentially habitable exoplanets using extreme telescopes. All of this in hopes that one day these efforts will culminate with the probable detection of life like our own elsewhere in the galaxy. \nAbout Dr. Ryan Colutier: \nDr. Cloutier is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University in Hamilton. \nHis research focuses on the detection and characterization of the galaxy’s most common planets around its most common stars. These exoplanets have sizes between that of the Earth and Neptune and do not have an analog in our solar system that we can study up close. My interests are in using observational techniques to understand the compositions of these so-called super-Earths and sub-Neptunes\, to inform our understanding of how these planets form and whether their surface conditions may be hospitable for life. \nThis talk can be attended either in-person or online via Zoom – here is the link \n  URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-ryan-cloutier/ LOCATION:DV2082 William Davis Building UTM\, 3359 Mississauga Rd\, Mississauga\, Ontario\, L5L 1C6\, Canada CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/planet_orbit_sketch.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230428T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230428T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20230415T203700Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230419T014759Z UID:2693-1682712000-1682719200@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Gaia Mission & Binary Star HD 165401 DESCRIPTION:Join Us for Two Presentations by University of Toronto Students.\n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The Gaia Space Mission\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Presented by: Ing Xhu Lim \nThe Gaia Space mission was a mission launched by the European Space Agency in 2013 to collect astronomical data on the stars in our milky way. The spacecraft aims to measure stars and planets and build the largest (to date) 3D catalog. It used 3 important sensors; Astro\, BP/RP\, and RVS\, which allowed us to gather data on a star’s position\, brightness\, and motion. The Gaia mission collected astronomical data on over 1 billion stars within its range such as their position as well as their estimated temperature and rotation period. The data provided by Gaia can then be used to create accurate stellar maps of our local neighborhood. Gaia’s data is open for the public to use\, taking such data we’re able to determine in bulk the location of stars through parallax right ascension and declination. As for the star’s color\, we can make a good estimate of its color through the black body spectrum caused by the star’s temperature. A blackbody spectrum is a spectrum of the wavelengths of radiation\, by taking the ones that are in the visible light range we can create a good estimate of what the star would look like if we could see it for ourselves. Through a code in Python\, we can feed a bulk amount of data generated by Gaia to create a 3D map for any chunk of data that we want to analyze. \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ing Xhu Lim is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto. He is currently taking Astronomical Science and Physics. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Analysis of the Binary Star HD 165401\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Presented by: Ziyyad Ali & Tabassom Madayen \nWe present an analysis of a binary star HD 165401. The sunlike star was thought to be an old Population II star with an age of at least 10 Gyrs due to its kinematics\, however\, it has indicators of youth leading Astronomers to believe the star is a Blue Straggler – a star that has gained mass from a close by companion. This would cause HD 165401 to appear bluer and have a higher magnetic activity compared to a typical Population II star. By visually observing the star using the Keck II telescope\, along with a 17 yearlong Radial Velocity (RV) dataset\, we discovered a faint companion HD 165401 Ab. Analyzing this data\, we identified HD 165401 Ab as a whitedwarf with a mass of M = and a cooling age of = 3 Gyrs. This means that it has been only 3 Gyrs since HD 165401 has become a white dwarf and was likely a 5-solar mass star before leaving the main sequence. HD 165401 A would have been smaller in comparison to its current state and gained mass during the planetary nebula phase of HD 165401 Ab\, effectively prolonging its main sequence lifetime. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Tabassom Madayen is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Mississauga doing Astronomical specialist. \nFor the past year she has been doing research with Dr Lea Hirsch on discovery and characterization of two nearby binary systems.  With previous experience working on contact binary star systems\, her current field of study is stellar astronomy which contains discovery and classification of stars in binary systems. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Ziyyad Ali is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Mississauga doing an Astronomy major\, Physics\, and a Computer Science minor. \nFor the past year he has been doing research with Dr Lea Hirsch on the discovery and characterization of two nearby binary systems. He has previous experience working with Neural Networks and Machine Learning.  His current field of study is using Machine Learning methods in astronomy. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join us in-person at the University of Toronto – Mississauga or via Zoom: \nZOOM LINK URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/university-of-mississauga-student-presentation/ LOCATION:Room DV 1142 William Davis Building CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/student_presentation_thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230324T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230324T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20221130T021119Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230324T152015Z UID:2485-1679688000-1679695200@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Mapping the dark side of the Universe DESCRIPTION:Jessie’s talk will fill us in on the latest exploration into Dark Matter and the work of the Dark Energy Survey. \nSynopsis: Decades of observations and analyses have led to the realization that ninety-five percent of the mass and energy in the Universe is made up of mysterious components known as dark matter and dark energy. The underlying physics behind these dark components is unknown\, but we can constrain their properties by observing how they affect visible matter\, searching for clues for how to develop more fundamental descriptions of this “dark side” of the Universe. This talk will give an overview of how we can use measurements from galaxy surveys\, which map the distribution of matter in the Universe\, to learn about dark energy\, dark matter\, and gravity and will describe the current state-of-the-art results from an ongoing experiment called the Dark Energy Survey. \nBio: Jessie Muir is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo\, Ontario. Originally from Romeo\, Michigan\, a suburb of Detroit\, Jessie completed her undergraduate studies at Michigan State University\, masters work at the University of Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar\, and her PhD at the University of Michigan. She has previously done postdoctoral research as a Porat Fellow at Stanford University. Jessie works on research at the intersection of cosmology theory and data analysis with the goal of using measurements of the large-scale properties of the Universe to learn about fundamental physics. As part of the Dark Energy Survey scientific collaboration\, Jessie recently co-led the experiment’s analysis of galaxy clustering and weak gravitational lensing to test for physics beyond the standard cosmological model\, and has contributed to the development of strategies for protecting cosmology analyses from unconscious experimenter bias. \nJoin us on online using ZOOM: CLICK TO JOIN\nCampus Map (click to download)\nPark in lot P4 or P8.  Enter Building C10 (Recreation\, Athletics & Wellness Centre). Walk past the stairs to the elevator / staircase at the end of the hall.  Walk up one floor or take the elevator. You should see a bookstore.  Walk through the doors marked Print shop. At the Print Shop turn right and look for room 1142 on your right. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-mapping-the-dark-side-of-the-universe/ LOCATION:Room DV 1142 William Davis Building CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/dark_energy_survey.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230224T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230224T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20230113T161515Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230220T201157Z UID:2533-1677268800-1677276000@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Mississauga Centre Annual General Meeting DESCRIPTION:Speaker presentation – An Antarctic Adventure – Randy Attwood and Betty Robinson  8:00 pm \nThe AGM will follow this presentation. This will be a members only event as only members in good standing are allowed to vote at the AGM. \nPlease refer to the latest edition of Messenger for the Annual General Meeting’s Agenda\, minutes from the meeting a year ago\, the Secretary’s Report\, the Treasurer’s report and the announcement of the 2023 Council composition. \nhttps://rasc.optunia.me/members-benefits/messenger-newsletter/ \nAnnual General Meeting – 9:00 pm \nThis meeting will be held at UTM in room DV 1142 and on ZOOM – link to the meeting is here \n  URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/mississauga-centre-annual-general-meeting/ LOCATION:Room DV 1142 William Davis Building CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_0554-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230127T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230127T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20221212T183512Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230111T153809Z UID:2502-1674847800-1674853200@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Mission to Pluto: From Napkins to New Horizons DESCRIPTION:Mission to Pluto: From Napkins to New Horizons\nSpeaker: Max King\, University of Toronto\nIn July 2015\, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto\, photographing the last unexplored major body in our solar system. Taking over 25 years from its original conception to its phenomenal photographic fly-by\, New Horizons upended the space industry. We will explore the story behind the most unlikely expedition into our solar system\, the development of the mission from scrap paper to the spacecraft itself. \nWe will examine the unique challenges of spacecraft engineering\, the lasting impact this mission has made on our understanding of the solar system\, and how its unparalleled success marks the beginning of a new era in space exploration. \n\nJoin us on Zoom URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-space-exploration-and-spacecraft-design/ LOCATION:Zoom CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/32842320-4dcd-448f-9a98-30bc477c1430.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20221125T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20221125T213000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20221011T152824Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221118T235012Z UID:2459-1669404600-1669411800@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Adventures in Moongazing: Making the Most of Moonlit Nights DESCRIPTION:Chris will discuss his experiences while observing the moon: for fun\, for outreach\, and for completing RASC’s lunar observing programs. He’ll share observing tips and target suggestions\, and highlight some of the best books\, apps\, and web tools for exploring the moon from your driveway. \nCHRIS VAUGHAN is an award-winning Astronomer and Earth Scientist with a lifelong passion for visual astronomy. He operates the David Dunlap Observatory’s 1.88m telescope\, volunteers for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada\, hosts The Insider’s Guide to the Galaxy show on YouTube\, and visits schools and groups with his portable Digital Starlab planetarium. His weekly Astronomy Skylights blog at www.AstroGeo.ca is enjoyed by readers worldwide\, and he is a regular contributor to SkyNews magazine\, Space.com\, and several popular astronomy apps. In summer\, 2021 he co-authored the book\, 110 Things to See with a Telescope.” \nPlease note: This meeting will be on Zoom only.  Due to a resurgance of respiratory infections the next few meetings will be on-line only.  We will re-assess the situation in January. \nZoom Link URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-tba/ LOCATION:Zoom meeting CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/chris_vaughn.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20221028T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20221028T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20221011T151648Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221024T235647Z UID:2454-1666987200-1666994400@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Dr John Percy\, University of Toronto DESCRIPTION:October 28 Speaker Night: Prof. John Percy: Misconceptions about the Universe: From Everyday Life to the Big Bang \nA misconception is a belief that is strongly held but actually incorrect. In this profusely illustrated\, non-technical presentation\, Prof. Percy will provide a gentle overview of astronomy by touching on a wide variety of common misconceptions from everyday life (e.g.\, the cause of the seasons)\, about our solar system\, black holes\, UFOs\, and the Big Bang. Prof. Percy will emphasize the many causes of these misconceptions since these same causes are responsible for much of the other misinformation and “fake news” that is so rampant in today’s society. \nProf. Percy is an active Professor Emeritus in Astronomy & Astrophysics\, and in Science Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE-UT). He was a founding faculty member of the University of Toronto Mississauga in 1967 and retired from there in 2007. His research deals with the nature and evolution of stars as deduced from variable stars\, which change in brightness. He is a supervisor and mentor of undergraduate research students and is known internationally for encouraging and facilitating research in variable star astronomy by skilled amateur astronomers. Prof. Percy is deeply engaged in astronomy outreach: he gives courses for later-life learners and public lectures in libraries and other venues that explore the interdisciplinary nature of astronomy. He also promotes and supports the teaching of astronomy in schools. He was an inaugural recipient of the University of Toronto President’s Teaching Award in 2007 and the inaugural recipient of the Canadian Astronomical Society’s Qilak Award in 2012\, for excellence in communicating astronomy in Canada. Prof. Percy served as RASC National President from 1978 to 1980 and RASC Honorary President from 2013 to 2017. URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-dr-john-percy-university-of-toronto/ LOCATION:University of Toronto – Mississauga Room DV2074 William G Davis Building CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/6a00e5509ea6a18834017d419e7e4c970c.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220909T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220909T220000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20220615T195606Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220815T153346Z UID:1952-1662753600-1662760800@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night DESCRIPTION:Speaker Night \nTopic James Webb Space Telescope URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/potpourri-meeting-14/ LOCATION:Zoom meeting CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MASLOGOOVAL-RASC.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220527T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220527T213000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20220328T174306Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220523T165533Z UID:1849-1653679800-1653687000@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Dr Samantha Lawler DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Samantha Lawler\, University of Regina \nTitle: “Megaconstellations of satellites are about to ruin the night sky for everyone” \nAbstract:\nSeveral companies are starting to launch megaconstellations of thousands of communication satellites (satcons)\, which would increase the number of active satellites in Low Earth Orbit at least twenty-fold in the next few years.  SpaceX’s Starlink satcon is currently largest (over 2\,000 satellites) and is adding 60 new satellites every couple of weeks.  While these satcons do allow internet access in many underserved rural and remote locations\, the costs are prohibitively high for all but the most well-off customers.  These thousands of satellites each reflect sunlight\, causing serious problems for research astronomy\, and making anthropogenic light pollution a fully global phenomenon that cannot be escaped anywhere on Earth.  Our recent simulations show that because of geometry and the chosen satellite orbits\, latitudes near 50 degrees N and S will see the worst light pollution from these satcons\, with hundreds of naked-eye visible satellites all night long in the summer.  These satellites also contribute to significant atmospheric pollution\, both on launch and re-entry\, contribute to diffuse sky emission\, and drastically increase the very real threat of Kessler Syndrome.  I will talk about how these satellites will affect stargazers and astronomers worldwide\, and what you can do to help mitigation efforts. \nBio:\nSamantha Lawler studies the orbits of Kuiper Belt objects\, exoplanets\, and dust disks using optical and IR observations and dynamical simuations.  She completed her undergrad degree at Caltech\, followed by two years there working with early Spitzer Space Telescope data\, and then earned a Master’s degree from Wesleyan University.  She completed her PhD at UBC\, a postdoc at UVic\, and then a Plaskett Fellowship at NRC-Herzberg\, all while raising kids and getting slowly drawn further into farm life with her partner.  Somehow\, magically\, she found an amazing balance: she is now an assistant professor of astronomy at Campion College at the University of Regina\, and lives on a 150 acre farm where she helps raise goats\, chickens\, and organic vegetables with her partner and kids\, while enjoying and trying to protect the huge prairie skies. \nZoom link to meeting URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-dr-samantha-lawler/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Lawler500.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220422T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220422T213000 DTSTAMP:20260419T133006 CREATED:20220328T173135Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220328T173135Z UID:1844-1650655800-1650663000@rasc.optunia.me SUMMARY:Speaker Night - Dr Chris Impey DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr Chris Impey Steward Observatory\, University of Arizona    \nTopic: Astrobiology- How strange life might be? \nLife on Earth is found in surprising places: in high and arid deserts\, on the sea floor near volcanic vents\, and even deep within rock. The discovery of biological adaptation to extreme conditions makes it very likely that variations on biology will exist on moons and planets around many of the billions of Sun-like stars in the Milky Way. The talk addresses the issue of even more unusual forms of life\, where the biological basis may be different or unrecognizable. \nBIOGRAPHY: Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He has 210 refereed publications on observational cosmology\, galaxies\, and quasars\, and his research has been supported by $20 million in NASA and NSF grants. He has won eleven teaching awards and has taught three online classes with over 350\,000 enrolled and 5 million minutes of video lectures watched. Chris Impey is a past Vice President of the American Astronomical Society\, and he has won its career Education Prize. He’s also been NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar\, Carnegie Council’s Arizona Professor of the Year\, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. He has written 80 popular articles on cosmology\, astrobiology and education\, two textbooks\, a novel called Shadow World\, and nine popular science books: The Living Cosmos\, How It Ends\, Talking About Life\, How It Began\, Dreams of Other Worlds\, Humble Before the Void\, Beyond: The Future of Space Travel\, Einstein’s Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes\, and an upcoming book on exoplanets\, Worlds Without End. \nJoin Zoom Meeting URL:https://rasc.optunia.me/event/speaker-night-dr-chris-impey/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Speaker Night ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rasc.optunia.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Impeyb500.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR