Dark Sky Festival - Workshops and Presentations

TAWBAS Presentations:  Friday  -  1:30 to 2:30 pm
Basic Astronomy and the Night Sky
   Tba - TAWBAS Volunteer
Newcomer to the hobby of astronomy? In this seminar, your presenter will take you through a casual tour of the night sky as viewed from your backyard.
This “crash course” in basic stargazing will guide you through the basics of what you can see in the sky, how the sky changes over the year, identifying the main constellations in all four seasons and ways to better see the sky with your unaided eye or a simple telescope or pair of binoculars.

Is There Anyone Out There ?
   Tba - TAWBAS Volunteer
It seems almost every-other-day that astronomers announce they have found a slew of new exo-planets, some might even be Earth like and harbour some form life. This presentation will explore new discoveries and look at some of the possibilities and challenges of our contact with other advanced civilizations.
- ​More details to follow !
Feature Presentation:  Friday  -  2:45 to 3:45 pm
Night Sky and Migratory Birds
   Roland Dechesne - Guest facilitator 
Twice each year, billions of birds fly between their wintering and breeding grounds, facing innumerable threats along the way. In North America, 70% of bird species migrate and 80% migrate at night, using the night sky to navigate.
Artificial light at night and skyglow can be fatal to migrating birds. Some are casualties of nighttime collisions with windows and walls. Others can circle in confusion until dawn, when they land – potentially without access to critical resources and subject to other urban threats.
Roland's session will discuss actions that are being taken and the role of Dark Sky Preserves have in bird migration.
TAWBAS Presentation:  Friday  -  2:45 to 3:45 pm
Basic Night Sky Photography
  Mark McGuire - TAWBAS Volunteer
Wondering if your camera is good enough to photograph the aurora or make star trails? Let our talented presenter walk you through the basics of night-time photography.
For this casual, hands-on session, bring your camera and learn how to prepare for a quiet evening of photographing the night sky and the aurora borealis. Discussion topics can range from camera selection right through to the camera/video settings you should be using as well site selection and preparation.
Guided Hiking Tour:  Saturday  -  1:00 to 2:30 pm
Hiking Tour of our Solar System
  Roland Dechesne & Mike Couvrette
Starting at the Dr. Roberta Bondar Northern Observatory - this hike will attempt to simulate the immense size of our Solar System (setup to scale) while Roland and Mike provide a stimulating narrative about key features, the history of and challenges of exploring our celestial neighborhood. 
- ​More details to follow !
TAWBAS Presentation:  Saturday  -  3:00 to 4:00 pm
Meteor Impacts / the Earth gets smacked !
   Mike Couvrette - TAWBAS Volunteer
Since the formation of our home planet Earth, it has been bombarded by objects from outer space and many of them have left their marks in a big way. In this presentation we look at the science of meteoroids and the resulting impact sites across the globe, including Pilot Lake NT, and on our solar neighbors.
The presentation includes a scaled down demonstration of a meteorite impact!
Guided Hiking Tour:  Sunday  -  1:30 to 3:00 pm
Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
  Roland Dechesne & Mike Couvrette
This hike launches from Earth (Fort Smith Star Park) and heads out to the far reaches of our galaxy, the Milky Way. This journey demonstrate the mind-boogling size of the galaxy (set to scale) while Roland and Mike will narrate a stimulating conversation about key features and will throw in some interesting references to science fiction movies and novels.
- ​More details to follow !

2022 DSF Sponsors
​Updated:  12 June 2024