The science and mythology of aurorae will be explored at the Nanaimo Astronomy Society’s next meeting.
Maria Volosatov, public relations manager and content writer for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Canada, will present Thursday, April 25, on the atmospheric interactions that power aurorae and how the phenemenon was explained by Indigenous Peoples.
Volosatov is a graduate of the University of Victoria’s physics and astronomy programs and founder of the Gabriola Elementary Astronomy Club and Gabriola Island Astrophysics. She has taken a keen interest in how the sun’s coronal mass emissions of charged particles interact with Earth’s atmosphere to produce the myriad of colours of aurorae in the northern and southern hemispheres.
“I will be presenting on the aurora borealis [and] aurora australis, essentially talking about the atmospheric agents that are involved, the electromagnetic interactions, how coronal mass ejections and solar winds initiate these events,” Volosatov said. “I’ll also talk about known records of auroral observations, especially by the Inuit, who have called it the aqsarniit, as well as the Maori and their perspective.”
She said Inuit mythology explained the aurorae as the spirits of the dead playing with a walrus head in a game of “sky soccer.” The Maori explained the tahu-nui-ā-rangias as a depiction of bloodshed following a battle and even ventured on canoe expeditions to try to uncover its secrets.
Volosatov said the aurorae are among Earth’s most spectacular natural phenomena.
“The grandeur of these streaks of light truly cannot compare to anything else we see; it has not the ferocity of a lightning bolt but rather represents the deflection of the unforgiving solar wind,” Volosatov wrote in a synopsis of her presentation. “It is as bold and comely as a rainbow shell, but the science behind these colours exceeds the complexity of a water acting as a prism.”
It was her work with Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Canada that first captured Volosatov’s interest in aurorae.
What is so exciting to me about it is I believe that studies of coronal mass injections, I think that it’s still waiting for its golden age…” she said. “There’s lots of physical mechanism and cultural aspects that are completely unexplored.”
Volosatov said much of her work since graduating from UVic has revolved around science outreach, but she will soon be returning to university to earn her master’s degree, and hopes that will lead to opportunities to work with other scientists.
Nanaimo Astronomy Society’s meeting happens at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at Beban Park Social Centre, when Volosatov will make her presentation via Zoom. Non-members are invited to attend their first meeting for free. To learn more, visit www.nanaimoastronomy.com.
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