Hello, hello again! This is your weekly update on all things going on at CosmoQuest.

24-Hour Hangout-A-Thon is almost here!

Faced with governmental funding cuts to science education and research, we have decided to go old school with a twist: On June 15-16, we are hosting a telethon using Google Hangout on Air – a Hangout-a-thon – to raise money to support public engagement in science.

[RSVP or Share the Event on G+ here]

This event will be hosted by Drs. Pamela Gay and Nicole Gugliucci. Confirmed guests include (incomplete list):

• Astronomer, blogger, Dr. Phil Plait (aka the Bad Astronomer)
• Mad Art Lab’s “Death By Puppets“
• Susie Murph of “How to Grow Your Geek“
• The cast of “Beyond the Wall“
• NASA affiliated scientists and educators

We’ll continue to announce guests as they are confirmed.

You don’t have to wait until June 15-16 to start giving! Make your donation (tax deductible in the US where laws allow) through PayPal today!

Why Citizen Science?

We are continuing our survey of your use of CosmoQuest! This will help us contribute to the research on citizen science motivations as well as serve you better as a community. Why are you here? How often do you do citizen science? What keeps you doing science? Help us get a large survey response by contributing on our Survey form and sharing the link with other users! Thank you for helping us do yet more science.

Poll on Online Classes

As we offer our latest CosmoAcademy class (on the Sun and Stellar Evolution), we’re thinking about what we want to do in the future. So, here’s your chance to help us decide what kinds of classes we offer to you! Your answers are anonymous, and don’t depend on whether you’ve taken one of our courses in the past. Click Here to Participate in the CosmoAcademy Poll. Summaries of our current and past offerings can be found on our Classes page. Thank you for your help!

Upcoming Hangouts

We strive to bring you entertaining and educational programming several days a week using Google Hangouts and YouTube. You can watch live and join in the comments or view the archived versions on YouTube. This week’s programming includes:

• Friday, June 7 @ 12pm PDT – Weekly Space Hangout – Fraser Cain and a team of astronomers, space journalists, and science aficionados bring you this week’s top stories in space and astronomy.
• Sunday, June 9 @ 9:00pm PDT – Virtual Star Party – In partnership with Universe Today, we bring you a weekly tour of the wonders of the night sky thanks to a team of astronomers willing to share their telescope views with you. As always, this event is weather dependent and subject to a time change depending on conditions.
• Monday, June 10 @ 12pm PDT – Astronomy Cast – Fraser Cain and Pamela Gay record an episode of Astronomy Cast live on Google Hangouts and, afterwards, take your questions about space and astronomy.
• Wednesday, June 12 @ 4pm PDT – Learning Space – Find out what’s new in astronomy education as Nicole Gugliucci reports back from the American Astronomical Society meeting.

365 Days of Astronomy

CosmoQuest is now hosting the 365 Days of Astronomy, a legacy project of the International Year of Astronomy. Listen to submitted content, submit your own podcast, or catch up on the audio-only version of our weekly Hangouts. This past weeks shows include:

• Wednesday, May 29 – AstroTourism on Learning Space
• Thursday, May 30 – What’s going on with Planetary Science Cuts?
  
• Friday, May 31 – The Weekly Space Hangout from May 17th
  
• Saturday, June 1 – Observing with Webb in June 2013
  
• Sunday, June 2 – Space Stories about Flatland
  
• Monday, June 3 – Astronomy Cast 300th Episode!
  
• Tuesday, June 4 – The Circle of Life
  

Thanks, and we’ll see you next week!