Episode 185: Did a Supernova Cause a Mass Extinction?, with Brian Fields

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: Brian Fields

By now we are all familiar with the theory that an asteroid brought to an end the age of the dinosaurs, a period of domination that had lasted 167 million years. But asteroids are not the only harbingers of doom that lurk in the darkness of space. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Brian Fields, whose research team has found evidence linking supernovae events in deep space to mass extinction events in deep time.

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Current in Space

Tony reports on the mystery of the vanished star. Then Jeff describes electromagnetic flare from a gravitational wave event caused by two merging black holes. And Camilla brings news of two new super-Earths. Finally Amelia and Priyanka offer an explanation for radio waves caused by pulsars.

About Our Guest

Brian Fields is Professor of Astronomy and Physics at the University of Illinois

Links

Exploding stars may have caused mass extinction on Earth, study shows (news release)

How to Listen to the Show

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The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.

If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca

Support The Star Spot

The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.

PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!

Episode 184: The Milky Way’s First Fast Radio Burst, with Sandro Mereghetti

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: Sandro Mereghetti

Fast radio bursts are a new mystery in astronomy. These highly energetic events of unknown origin were first discovered in 2007 out in deep space. Now a team is reporting the first fast radio burst to emanate from our own Milky Way Galaxy. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Sandro Mereghetti, whose team is on the hunt for the source of this unusual phenomenon.

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Current in Space

Camilla shares the remarkable discovery, or rather re-discovery, of the heartbeat of a supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy, found still alive and kicking ten years after being first observed. In addition to the supermassive black hole shaping the environment at the centre of our home galaxy, Amelia and Priyanka explain that something else there is also calling the shots (and no, it’s definitely not like what we saw in Star Trek V). In other black hole news, Finally, Jeff brings us back down to Earth (though still above Earth), as SpaceX is launching ever more Starlink satellites into orbit to provide high-speed Internet coverage to citizens of our planet. There’s only one problem: the future of ground-based astronomy may be at stake.

About Our Guest

Sandro Mereghetti is research staff member at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Milan.

Links

INTEGRAL discovery of a burst with associated radio emission from the magnetar SGR 1935+2154 (scholarly article)

Dead star emits never-before seen mix of radiation (news release)

How to Listen to the Show

LISTEN NOW OR DOWNLOAD
* Subscribe for free with itunes
* Use feedburner in your browser

The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.

If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca

Support The Star Spot

The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.

PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!

Are you interested in a Paid Short-Term Internship with The Star Spot?

Assistant Producer, A Paid Summer Internship with a Leading Science Radio Show and Podcast

The Star Spot is a space themed podcast and radio show focusing on all aspects of astronomy and space exploration. The show was awarded “New and Notable” on iTunes and has been featured on CBC’s Podcast Playlist as well as InnerSpace, the flagship program of Canada’s space channel. The Star Spot has interviewed Nobel laureates, astronauts and leaders of major international space missions. It is available on Ryerson Radio, iTunes and at www.thestarspot.ca

We have been provided with a grant from Canada Summer Jobs to hire an intern to work full-time for eight weeks this fall 2020. The position will focus on The Star Spot’s growth and development, preparing an audience engagement plan, building a new platform for the show on YouTube, and assisting in organizing interviews, debates and news reporting.

Please note that unlike previous years, the Canada Summer Jobs program is now open to both students and non-students, although candidates must be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of employment.

Applications Due: September 18, 2020

Term: October 19 to December 11, 2020

Status: Full-time, 8 weeks, 32 hours/week

Location: Toronto

How to Apply: Review the eligibility requirements below. If you are interested, available, and eligible for this position, please submit a cover letter and resume as text, word or PDF attachment, to Executive Producer Justin Trottier at info@thestarspot.ca.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

Develop an Audience Engagement Plan

Following research into best practices among educational podcasts as well as surveys conducted of The Star Spot listeners, the intern will develop recommendations for improving the show’s engagement with its audience.

Growth and Development of The Star Spot

The intern will work to further grow the show by: pitching the program to online and conventional radio stations; fundraising to corporations, universities and foundations; Developing a Student Placement Strategy, aimed at appointing student interns to ongoing Assist Production roles.

Build a YouTube Platform for the Show

The Star Spot has been an audio-only podcast for most of its history. Recently a presence has been launched on YouTube and a few preliminary videos episodes have been broadcast. The intern will develop the framework for a regular scheduled program on YouTube. This will include developing a visual brand for the show and troubleshooting the platform technology. 

 

Skills, Attributes and Qualifications

It is no longer a requirement that Canada Summer Jobs applicants be full-time students. However, to be eligible, the Canada Summer Jobs program requires that an applicant:

  • (a) is between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the start of employment;
  • (b) is a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act*; and
  • (c) is legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial / territorial legislation and regulations.


Background and Experience

  • Completion or in-process of acquiring relevant post-secondary degree, diploma, or certificate from an accredited post-secondary institution. Target domains of study include fundraising, development, marketing, communications, public relations, advertising, promotions, journalism or related areas. 
  • Experience in marketing, public relations, relationship management, communications and content creation ideal.
  • Experience with YouTube video production ideal.
  • Experience with marketing campaigns on social media helpful.
  • Appreciation and basic understanding for science ideal.

Personality and Skills

  • Demonstrated ability to write clear, well-structured, articulate, and persuasive proposals and to develop associated visuals.
  • Ability to build strong relationships 
  • Outstanding organizing, project management, time management and planning skills.
  • Ability to adapt to a continually evolving environment and thrive in an autonomous and deadline-oriented workplace. 
  • Resourceful and proactive in resolving challenges and finding solutions.
  • Ability to identify and summarize relevant information.
  • Independent self-starter capable of managing and prioritizing multiple, time-sensitive priorities.
  • Assertive but not aggressive.


Technical Knowledge

  • Knowledge of Adobe creative cloud software a considerable asset.
  • High familiarity with common social media networks and YouTube.
  • Hands-on experience with WordPress, SEO and Google Analytics helpful.

 

Episode 183: COVID-19 Meets the NASA Space Apps Challenge, with James Slifierz

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: James Slifierz

The NASA Space Apps Challenge is a feverish annual hackathon engaging teams of coders, scientists and storytellers around the world. Each year thousands of participants in over 75 countries compete to solve real-world problems in Earth and in space.  As the Challenge celebrates its 10 year anniversary it faces one of the most demanding challenges of our generation: COVID-19. To discuss how NASA is turning the global pandemic from a challenge into an opportunity, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by James Slifierz, Co-founder and CEO of Skywatch and a 2014 NASA Space Apps global winner. 

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Current in Space

Camille reports on the closest black hole to Earth. Then Jeff announces the Artemis Accords. Anshool shares a new high-resolution infrared image of Jupiter. Finally Amelia and Priyanka describe a planetary system with six planets that orbit in near-perfect rhythm. 

About Our Guest

James Slifierz is Co-founder and CEO of Skywatch, a private company with a mission to make earth observation data accessible to developers for a wide variety of applications. He is also responsible for bringing the NASA Space Apps Challenge to Waterloo, Ontario, where each year it proves to be one of the top locations in the world.

Links

NASA Space Apps Challenge

Skywatch

How to Listen to the Show

LISTEN NOW OR DOWNLOAD
* Subscribe for free with itunes
* Use feedburner in your browser

The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.

If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca

Support The Star Spot

The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.

PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!

Episode 182: Planet Nine or Black Hole One, with Jakub Scholtz

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: Jakub Scholtz

We’ve long believed that membership in the solar system’s planetary family was limited to those eight planets we learned about in grade school. But then astronomers began to raise the possibility of a new super-Earth-sized planet, five to ten times the mass of Earth, orbiting far off in the outer solar system. Now if you thought the concept of Planet Nine was astonishing, consider if the mysterious body wasn’t a planet at all – but a black hole. That’s right, Planet Nine might be Black Hole One, our own solar system’s very first singularity. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by astrophysicist Jakub Scholtz, co-author of a new study making the case for this fascinating proposal

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Current in Space

Tony celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. Then Jeff reports on water loss from mysterious interstellar comet Borisov.

About Our Guest

Jakub Sholtz is Junior Research Fellow at the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology at Durham University in the UK. He earned his PhD at the University of Washington, where he was awarded the Hadley Fellowship, and performed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University.

Links

Scholtz and J. Unwin, “What if Planet 9 is a Primordial Black Hole”, arXiv:1909.11090 (scholarly article)

How to Listen to the Show

LISTEN NOW OR DOWNLOAD
* Subscribe for free with itunes
* Use feedburner in your browser

The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.

If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca

Support The Star Spot

The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.

PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!

Episode 181: Reports of Betelgeuse’s Death Are Greatly Exaggerated, with Emily Levesque

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: Emily Levesque

In December 2019, amateur and professional astronomers held their breath as the red supergiant Betelgeuse started dimming beyond anything on record, a sign the behemoth might be preparing to go supernova. But over the ensuing few months, things seemed to be returning to normal for this fascinating star. To solve the mystery, a team set out to investigate this bizarre behaviour and to shed light on the fate of Betelgeuse. Today we’re joined here at the Star Spot by Emily Levesque to discuss their findings. 

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Current in Space

A supergiant haul of stories this week. First Camilla reports on the largest ozone hole ever seen over North Pole. Then Jeff shares evidence of an elusive mid-sized black hole. And Anshool brings news of many more satellite galaxies around the Milky Way. Followed by Amelia and Priyanka’s obituary on the passing of astronomer Margaret Burbidge. Finally Joseph updates us on the proposed mission to Enceladus.

About Our Guest

Emily Levesque is Assistant Professor of Astronomy at the University of Washington. Previously she worked as a Post Doc at the University of Colorado, during which she held Einstein and Hubble Fellowships. She is a recipient of the Sloan Fellowship and the Annie Jump Cannon Award. Her work focuses on massive stars and galaxy formation.

Links

Betelgeuse Just Isn’t That Cool: Effective Temperature Alone Cannot Explain the Recent Dimming of Betelgeuse (Emily M. Levesque, Philip Massey) (Scholarly article)

How to Listen to the Show

LISTEN NOW OR DOWNLOAD
* Subscribe for free with itunes
* Use feedburner in your browser

The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.

If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca

Support The Star Spot

The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.

PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!

Episode 180: Wormholes through Space and Time, with John Cramer

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: John G. Cramer

They are the stuff of science fiction, but wormholes are also the subject of intense scientific debate. Can wormholes provide a mechanism for faster than light travel through space and, even more intriguing, do they open the door to travel through time? Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by one of the world’s foremost authorities on wormholes, Professor John G. Cramer, to share results from his thought experiments on wormholes and his laboratory experiments aimed at changing the past.

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Current in Space

Jeff starts us off with a bang… the largest bang we’ve ever seen in the universe. Then Camilla unveils the name of the next generation Mars rover. And Anshool ponders the chances of finding life around a black hole. Finally Amelia and Priyanka pay tribute to pioneering mathematician Katherine Johnson.

About Our Guest

John G Cramer is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Washington. He has made contributions to the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider project at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the particle accelerator at CERN. He is known for his experiments in quantum retrocausality, which explore the possibility of effects preceding causes. Cramer is a regular guest on the Science Channel and NPR, and he has authored multiple books of hard science fiction.

Links

John Cramer’s Website
The Quantum Handshake: Entanglement, Nonlocality and Transactions (Amazon)

How to Listen to the Show

LISTEN NOW OR DOWNLOAD
* Subscribe for free with itunes
* Use feedburner in your browser

The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.

If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca

Support The Star Spot

The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.

PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!

Episode 179 Dreams of Floating Cities, with Geoffrey Landis

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: Geoffrey A. Landis

When we think of terraforming, we probably envision turning the Red Planet blue. But Mars isn’t the only world in our solar system that ambitious scientists have considered transforming. Imagine a network of floating cities in the clouds of Venus, or sailing ships plying the oceans of a newly thawed moon in the outer solar system. Today we’re going to dream here at The Star Spot with NASA scientist and award-winning science fiction author, Geoffrey Landis.

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Current in Space

After NASA’s InSight lander touched down on Mars in late 2018, it’s already gathering fascinating data, but as Camilla explains, its latest discovery is literally groundshaking: Mars is officially a seismically active planet! Then Jeff reports on the launch of Solar Orbiter, a new Sun-exploring spacecraft that will enhance our knowledge of the Sun’s influence on the entire Solar System. And while Pluto’s heart made us fall in love with the famous dwarf planet all over again, Anshool describes an influence that goes far beyond its aesthetic qualities. Wrapping it up with a special double bill on our local star: The most detailed image so far of the Sun’s surface has been captured, and Amelia and Priyanka provide the details.

About Our Guest

Geoffrey A. Landis is a scientist at the NASA John Glenn Research Centre where he works on Mars missions and on developing advanced concepts and technology for future space missions. He has expertise in photovoltaic device design, for which he holds four patents. Landis received bachelors degrees in physics and in electrical engineering from MIT, and a PhD in physics from Brown University. In addition to his pure science work, Landis has published over fifty science fiction short stories, including “Ripples in the Dirac Sea” which won the Nebula award for best short story and “A Walk in the Sun” which won the Hugo award.

Links
Engage Warp Drive! Why Interstellar Travel’s Harder Than It Looks (Space.com)

How to Listen to the Show
 
* Subscribe for free with itunes
* Use feedburner in your browser
 
The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.
 
If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca
 
Support The Star Spot
 
The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.
 
PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!

Episode 178 Sibling Rivalry at the Centre of the Galaxy, with Smadar Naoz

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: Smadar Naoz

We’ve long known that most galaxies contain at their core a supermassive black hole that can be millions of times the mass of the sun. But now researchers are discovering galaxies with more than one supermassive black hole at their centre. To understand the implications of this discovery and what it could mean about the history of the Milky Way, should our own galaxy be among this collection, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by astrophysicist Smadar Naoz.

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Current in Space

Stars like the Sun are a no-brainer when it comes to finding habitable planets, but Amelia and Priyanka say another star is even better; say hello to the orange dwarf. In other habitable planet news, Jeff reports on the discovery of two super-Earth exoplanets that just may be home to life. Finally, Anshool looks to the ancient history of our own planet with the finding of the oldest known asteroid impact, one which may have marked a major climate shift.

About Our Guest

Smadar Naoz is Howard and Astrid Preston Term Chair in Astrophysics and Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA. She is a member of the executive committee of the Bhaumik Institute for Theoretical Physics. She received her PhD from Tel Aviv University before working as an Einstein Fellow at Harvard University.

Links

How to Listen to the Show
 
* Subscribe for free with itunes
* Use feedburner in your browser
 
The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.
 
If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca
 
Support The Star Spot
 
The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.
 
PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!

Episode 177: The Case of the Missing Dark Matter, with Guo Chi

For more info on the podcast, please see our About page.

Feature Guest: Guo Chi

Dark matter vastly overshadows ordinary matter in our universe. Wherever astronomers turn their telescopes they find galaxies dominated by dark matter. But all that changed recently with the first discoveries of dwarf galaxies suspiciously deficient in dark matter. To make sense of this baffling finding and how it relates to our Milky Way’s own local dwarf galaxies, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by study lead Professor Guo Qi from the Chinese Academy of Science.

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Current in Space

NASA’s newest planet hunter has made its most remarkable discovery yet: an Earth-sized world in its star’s habitable zone, and Anshool provides everything you need to know. Amelia and Priyanka explain a mystery surrounding a particle, and a strange halo around a pulsar may be the key to solving it. And in his debut, Jeff offers more pulsar news in that a new surface map of a particular pulsar may question everything we thought we knew about these lighthouses of the Galaxy.

About Our Guest

Guo Qi is Professor of Astronomy at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Science. She received her PhD from the Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics and held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the UK’s Durham University.

Further evidence for a population of dark-matter-deficient dwarf galaxies (Scholarly publication in Nature Astronomy)

How to Listen to the Show
 
* Subscribe for free with itunes
* Use feedburner in your browser
 
The Star Spot is also broadcast on The Scope at Ryerson. The show airs every Sunday at 8:00PM and Tuesday at 6:00PM Eastern Time. Listen live here.
 
If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to info@thestarspot.ca
 
Support The Star Spot
 
The Star Spot is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. We operate with lots of love and a passion for astronomy, but that doesn’t quite cover all of our needs all of the time. Costs from web hosting, recording space, speaker fees, conference coverage and printing flyers, posters, business cards and the like do add up. Patreon is a simple way that fans of the show can contribute to the podcast every month and get some great rewards in return. If you’d like to see us continue to grow and continue to put out great content please consider helping us out. Our annual expenses total at about $10,000, and every little bit helps.
 
PatreonIf you’d like to know exactly where your money is going, ask us, and we’ll be glad to share the information. Alternatively, get involved with The Star Spot and have a say in it yourself!