On Tuesday, February 20 at 7 p.m., the Thetford Public Library Network presents Gaétan Laflamme's conference entitled “Skystones, Meteors, Bolides and Asteroids.”
Celestial rocks or meteorites are fragments of rocks, metal, or other materials from space that pass through Earth's atmosphere and reach the Earth's surface. These alien fragments can vary in size, from small particles of dust to large chunks.
When a celestial object, such as an asteroid, enters the Earth's atmosphere and reaches the Earth's surface, it can cause a meteor impact. This impact can have significant consequences depending on the size and speed of the colliding object. We find traces of these impacts on the moon, planets and Earth, including several impacts in Quebec.
In this conference, Gaétan Laflamme explains the origin of meteors and bolides and how to find celestial stones, i.e. meteorites. These provide valuable information about the composition of celestial objects and can provide clues about the history and development of our solar system. Several photos of the Minéro Museum's meteorite collection are also presented.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Gaétan Laflamme is an amateur astronomer, a member of the Fédération des astronomers amateurs du Québec (FAAQ) and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (SRAC/RASC). He works with researchers at Western University in Ontario by photographing meteors to calculate the precise orbits of this dust in space or to predict the possible impact point of bolides that could land on Earth.
Thetford Public Library Network users can obtain tickets at the Cégep Library circulation desk. Please note that a limit of two tickets per member has been set.