Queen's Observatory
58 University Avenue K7L 3N6 Kingston, ON, Canada

For E02 at the Fast Radio Burst, we interviewed an astronomer about the Crab Nebula! Have a listen to it using your favorite podcast service! https://www.buzzsprout.com/1378705/episodes/5839609

Mars is at its closest to Earth right now. Make sure to check it out however you can in the next few days, it should be much bigger and brighter than normal! Also, the SpaceX Starman just made its first Mars flyby. Learn more in the article below! https://www.space.com/spacex-starman-tesla-mars-flyby

E01: Phosphine on Venus, could it be Life? The first podcast from the Queen's Observatory is now available! Check it out at the link below, also see the bonus episode explaining the mission of the Fast Radio Bursts. You should be able to find the podcast on most services as "QUO Fast Radio Bursts" (although Apple Podcasts might take a few more days to register us). https://www.buzzsprout.com/1378705

Come join us for some science and drinks!

So, the results are in and we have a winner! Our first podcast will be about the amazing new discovery of Phosphine on Venus! Runners up were the black hole merger and Betelgeuse, which we are also very excited about so those will be saved for future podcasts. Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the poll, we had over 40 responses and got many excellent suggestions in the free-form box as well! We are going to get working on the podcast right away and will post it by September 29th. (Image credit: ISAS, JAXA, Akatsuki; Processing: Meli thev)

*FEEDBACK REQUESTED* The Queen's Observatory is starting a podcast! We understand that in the current global situation schedules can be chaotic, so we are adapting to the situation and brining you content that can be enjoyed on your own schedule instead of the live trivia events. The podcast will be about 30 min long and feature interviews with astronomers, answering your questions, space news, and topical astronomy deep dives! We are very excited to bring this new program to... life and we want the direction of the project to be driven by what you find most engaging. So we have made this poll to ask what topic you want us to start with for the first podcast! There's only one multiple choice question in the poll, and a box for suggestions/questions if you have any. Thanks so much for your help and we hope you enjoy the first episode! https://forms.gle/C17EVWhyDgLjpeSz6

Exciting news in the world of exobiology! Phosphine has been discovered in the atmosphere of Venus, Phosphine is a possible indicator of life! More research is needed but this could be a huge discovery! See more in the article below which interviews Observatory Coordinator Connor Stone. (although note he is a PhD candidate, not a professor) https://www.thewhig.com//venus-discovery-may-have-huge-imp

Feedback requested! We are looking at ways to improve our virtual outreach program, if you could fill out our 5 question survey we would really appreciate it. We welcome all ideas to make the program more engaging! https://forms.gle/W9cyy7fN9atqQPUt9

This is a heads up that Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is currently gracing the skies, and weather predictions for Kingston tonight are hopeful! Look for the big dipper around 10pm (or a little later) and the comet should be below and a little on the left. It will look almost like a star that has a grey haze extending upwards. You can see it by naked eye even with light pollution, but dark skies and binoculars help. Make sure to get a look soon (should be up for the rest of July) it won't be back for 6800 years! https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200723.html

Mark your calendars and fill your flagons for the upcoming virtual Astronomy on Tap!

Thanks to everyone who joined our live trivia night on Saturday, we had a lot of fun! (and thanks to Dilraj for a great talk!) If you missed it, don't fret, we streamed on YouTube so you can watch any time. The fillable trivia sheet is in the description. Play with friends and see who is a space trivia champion! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G3FzVsP4rQ

Hello space enthusiasts, comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) is visible in dark skies just before sunrise (could be visible after sunset later this month)! Check out the article below to see where to find it, and use a pair of binoculars if you want a really good look! https://skyandtelescope.org//anticipation-grows-for-come/