StarDate is radio’s longest-running nationally aired science program. It began in 1977 as a daily telephone message service by McDonald Observatory. It was picked up by Austin radio station KLBJ-FM, and aired as “Have You Seen the Stars Tonight” beginning in June 1977. With a grant from the National Science Foundation the program became “Star Date,” and began airing nationally, seven days per week, on October 1, 1978. More »
★Stargazing: October 18
The planet Mars stands to the right of the Moon at nightfall. Although it has lost a good bit of...More »
▶StarDate Radio: October 18 — Losing Weight
Planet Earth turns on its axis like a spinning gyroscope — one turn every 23 hours and 56 minutes. And...More »
▶StarDate Radio: October 17 — Moon and Mars
The seasons are changing on Mars. Today is the first full day of winter in the planet’s northern hemisphere. The...More »
★Stargazing: October 17
Look for the planet Mars to the left of the Moon as darkness falls this evening. It looks like a...More »
▶StarDate Radio: October 16 — Close Visitor
A space rock the size of a building will buzz near Earth tomorrow. There’s no risk of it hitting us....More »
★Stargazing: October 16
A space rock the size of a building will buzz near Earth tomorrow, although there is no risk of it...More »
★Stargazing: October 15
Auriga, the charioteer, climbs into view in the northeast by about 9 p.m. It’s marked by yellow-orange Capella, one of...More »
▶StarDate Radio: October 15 — Collision Zones
Planetary systems can be dangerous. Like race cars zipping around a track, planets can ram into each other. That can...More »
★Stargazing: October 14
Saturn, the second-largest planet in the solar system, huddles quite close to the Moon tonight. The giant planet looks like...More »
▶StarDate Radio: October 14 — Moon and Saturn
Saturn is the second-largest planet in the solar system — only mighty Jupiter outranks it. And it generates the second-largest...More »
★Stargazing: October 13
Deneb Algedi, the tail of the sea-goat, is in the southern sky at nightfall, in the constellation Capricornus. Deneb Algedi...More »
▶StarDate Radio: October 13 — Telling Tails
Many constellations have a star that represents its character’s tail. And the names of many of those stars begin with...More »
Current Magazine
Our November/December issue brings you a holiday treat: Nick D'Alto returns with a feature on how — and when! — cultures around the world celebrate the new year based on different heavenly markers. And editor Rebecca Johnson will bring you up to speed on New Horizons' upcoming post-Pluto encounter with another distant world.
2018 Sky Almanac
Even though 2018 is more than half gone, you can still plan the rest of this year's stargazing adventures with our 2018 Sky Almanac, which offers skywatching tips, charts, Moon phases, and much more. And for the rest of the year, we've reduced the price! Order online or call 1-800-STARDATE during regular business hours.
