As per [a recent question of mine](https://mathoverflow.net/questions/20228/omega-1-times-beta-mathbbn-normal), $\omega_1 \times \beta \mathbb{N}$ is not normal. I'm wondering whether there's some sort of "natural" condition that describes when a space has a normal product with  $\beta \mathbb{N}$, analagous to Dowker's characterisation that $X$ is countably paracompact iff $X \times [0, 1]$ is normal. 

The context here is that I'm looking for something I can weaken to something sensible, as I have a property implied by $X \times \beta \mathbb{N}$ being normal which I am "surprised" isn't an equivalence ($\omega_1$ has this property) and would like to see if I can show its equivalenct to some slightly weaker topological condition.