On the cover: Hodge 301 in the Tarantula Nebula

Our first summer issue of the year often includes vacation ideas or travel trips for the astronomically inclined, but this time we may have taken it too far. Light-years into the future, in fact. Noted author Ben Bova returns to the pages of StarDate to explore the prospects for interstellar travel in humanity's future. From fusion rockets to time dilation, the technology for visiting the stars is still more science fiction than science fact. But don't give up hope. Researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are developing a technology roadmap for sending a probe to a nearby star within a human lifetime while other NASA physicists spend their days contemplating warp drive and other far-out propulsion systems.

For those of us who'll never visit the stars, thank goodness for Hubble Space Telescope...and Keith Noll. As one of the astronomers responsible for maintaining Hubble's camera, Keith has seen all of the stunning images and knows the impact they can have, regardless of their scientific significance. Keith started the Hubble Heritage Project to make pretty pictures. See the results.

More mars meteorites, source of the solar wind.

Read archived news from StarDate magazine in the Resources section.

Every issue of StarDate also includes monthly star charts and stargazing highlights, plus stunning astronomical images.

Subscribe online today or send your order by phone or mail.

View back issues by year
1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009