From the first announcement of its discovery in the atmosphere of Mars in 2003, methane has “punched above its weight” in our scientific imagination of the red planet. Because methane is quickly destroyed by the current chemistry active on Mars, it has to be supplied in the present day by some as yet unknown process. On the Earth, it is living systems that produce the abundant methane that we see in our atmosphere.

“O, swear not by the moon, th’inconstant moonThat monthly changes in her circled orb,Lest that thy love prove likewise variable”

Just over one hundred years ago Albert Einstein revealed the Theory of General Relativity and one of its predictions, the existence of gravitational waves. It took astronomers 100 years to first observe these mysterious waves, confirming Einstein’s theory. Now that they have, it has opened up an entirely new way to see the Universe, including objects that had not been seen before, like black holes.

Comet NEOWISE has been the sensation of our July skies, the first naked-eye comet for the Northern Hemisphere in ages. David Levy knows all about comets that snag the spotlight. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which broke apart in July 1992 and collided with Jupiter in July 1994, garnered the “Canadian comet sleuth” media attention around the world, including the headline on the very first cover of SkyNews 25 years ago.

The best objects of all types to see in the summer months, using unaided eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. We'll give you some tips on using nebula filters, and dive into some history about Scorpius and Sagittarius!

The colourful stars and galaxies that we can see with our eyes and traditional telescopes are only a small portion of the light coming from the sky. What constitutes that ‘invisible’ light that our eyes cannot see, how do we observe it, and what can it tell us? Discover radio astronomy, an exciting area of research that complements observations of the visible Universe, and allows us to dive deep into the cosmos. Join Vincent McKay on our next episode of Cosmos From Your Couch, on Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00pm EDT!

NASA’s newest rover Perseverance launches July 30. Ahead of the big day, join planetary scientists Sara Mazrouei and Tanya Harrison on Wednesday, July 15 at 2 p.m. for a Facebook Live event all about the Red Planet. Why are we so fascinated with Mars? Sara and Tanya discuss Perseverance’s astrobiology mission—from launching to landing to collecting Martian samples—and other upcoming missions to explore Mars.

Ever wonder what that bright object is in the night sky? From dying stars to shooting stars, there are many astronomical phenomena which have long inspired curiosity, fear, and awe.

The collections of moons that orbit our giant planets are very like miniature planetary systems, each with their own dramatic history. In her presentation Christa Van Laerhoven will talk about the various moons of the solar system and how they have been shaped by orbital shenanigans with their fellow moons and their host planet.

Over 4000 exoplanets have been discovered to date—but what do we really know about them, and how do we know it? Join Emily Deibert in exploring the main methods and missions that have been used to discover the diverse population of exoplanets throughout our Galaxy, and learn about some of the most extraordinary exoplanets we've found so far. She will also discuss how astronomers are starting to learn about what conditions on these exoplanets might be like, and highlight some of the advances we hope to make in the field over the next few years.