Newbrook

The observatory was connected to a Canada–United States science project that began in 1946, when the two countries agreed to work together on space-science research, especially the study of meteors. In 1957, the observatory became even more important when resident scientist Art Griffen took the first North American photographs of Sputnik I less than a week after it was launched. Researchers at Newbrook also used the Super-Schmidt Meteor Camera to take thousands of meteor photographs and spectrograph exposures between 1952 and 1957, including more than 8,000 exposures by the end of 1957. The area is also connected to the Abee meteorite, a 107-kilogram meteorite that fell near Abee in 1952. The observatory operated until 1970 and was later named a Provincial Historic Resource in 1995. Today, it remains an important part of Alberta’s scientific history. Newbrook also keeps its community spirit alive through the Newbrook Agricultural and Recreational Society, which looks after the local hall and arena and supports events like fairs, markets, and community gatherings.