In the movie “Galaxy Quest,” a starship is powered by a sphere of beryllium, one of the lightest chemical elements....More »
▶StarDate Radio: July 24 — Oxygen
Oxygen is one of the most important elements on Earth. It makes up about one-fifth of the mass of the...More »
★Stargazing: July 24
Many amateur astronomers turn their telescopes toward the south on summer evenings. The region of the sky around Sagittarius and...More »
▶StarDate Radio: July 23 — Emptiness
It’s lonely out here in the galactic suburbs. The closest neighbors are light-years away — distances that are truly astounding....More »
★Stargazing: July 23
The star cluster Messier 11 is more than 6,000 light-years away, in the constellation Scutum, the shield. The cluster’s brightest...More »
▶StarDate Radio: July 22 — Far, Far Away
It’s a long way from Earth to the center of the galaxy. But the exact distance is uncertain — measurements...More »
★Stargazing: July 22
A small, faint “shield” of stars climbs high across the south tonight. Scutum represents the coat of arms on the...More »
▶StarDate Radio: July 21 — Black Widows
Black widows lurk among the stars. They slowly destroy their companions, ingesting part and sweeping away the remains.
These nasty-sounding...More »
★Stargazing: July 21
A spectacular total solar eclipse is just one month away. It will be visible across a narrow path that stretches...More »
▶StarDate Radio: July 20 — Hot Weather
The objects known as brown dwarfs are oddballs. They’re heavier than planets, but not heavy enough to trigger the nuclear...More »
★Stargazing: July 20
The Lagoon Nebula is visible low in the southern sky tonight. To find it, look south around 10 p.m. for...More »
▶StarDate Radio: July 19 — Moon and Venus
Early risers are in for a skywatching treat at first light tomorrow — a close pairing of the crescent Moon...More »
★Stargazing: July 19
Beautiful Venus, the brilliant “morning star,” stands close to the upper left of the Moon at dawn tomorrow. The planet...More »
Current Magazine
Our July/August issue of StarDate magazine will focus on the Great American Eclipse. On August 21, a total solar eclipse will be visible across a wide swath of the United States, with a partial eclipse in store for the rest of country. We'll tell you how to make the most of it.
2017 Sky Almanac
The year may be more than half over, but plenty of stargazing adventures are still ahead. Find out about all of them in our 2017 Sky Almanac issue, which offers skywatching tips, charts, Moon phases, and much more. And we've reduced the price to $4, which is almost half off the cover price. Order online or call 1-800-STARDATE during regular business hours.
