Eighth European Space Weather Week
November 28 - December 02, 2011 - Namur, Belgium


Keynote Lecture
The Northern Lights - a message from the Sun

Pal Brekke,
Monday 28th November, 18:30 - 19:30

What is more beautiful on a cold winter night than catching a glimpse of the aurora borealis the northern lights, dancing across the sky? This stunning phenomenon is embedded in the mythology of many cultures and has been characterized as everything from dancing spirits to God's anger. But no one suspected a connection with the sun until a little more than a hundred years ago, when an eccentric Norwegian scientist, Kristian Birkeland, realized that the Sun bombards the Earth with particles. Dr. Brekke's multimedia session spans the myths and the modern science behind the northern lights. We will discuss coronal mass ejections, the magnetosphere and solar wind, and how solar particles are captured by Earth's magnetic field and guided to the magnetic poles. Learn where to see the aurora, and how to predict when it will appear. Enhance your appreciation for a phenomenon that has fascinated through the ages.

About Pal Brekke - on wikipedia.


Welcome by political authorities

We have the pleasure to announce that the Belgian Federal Minister of Science Policy, Mrs Sabine Laruelle will be present at the welcome reception. Prior to this, she will take the opportunity to say some words about the involvement of Belgium in Space Weather. We welcome also Mr Denis Mathen, Governor of Namur, Mr Jean-Marc Van Espen, Deputy of Namur and Mrs Sabine Laruelle, Minister of Science Policy.

19:30 - 20:00: 'Welcome to Namur' by
  • Mr Denis Mathen, Governor of Namen
  • Mr Jean-Marc Van Espen, Deputy of Namur
  • Mrs Sabine Laruelle, Federal Minister of Science Policy
We conclude with a touristic movie about Namur, followed by the welcome reception.



Practical: date & Venue
Monday November 28, 2011, Theatre de Namur - Place du Theatre 2, 5000 Namur, 1 min walk from the conference site.

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A bigger map