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May 18, 2025

Radio: Today’s Episode

  • Kornephoros

    The leading light of the club bearer

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Radio: Yesterday’s Episode

Stargazing

  • Kornephoros

    Hercules stands well up in the east and northeast as night falls. The constellation’s brightest star represents the entire strongman. Its name, Kornephoros, comes from a Greek word that means “the club bearer,” which is Hercules himself.


  • Corona Borealis

    A pretty semicircle of stars crowns the sky on spring and summer nights: Corona Borealis, the northern crown. It is in the east as night falls now, and passes high overhead a few hours later. In a couple of months, it will be overhead at nightfall.


  • Arcturus

    One of the most important stars in the ancient world was Arcturus, in Boštes, the herdsman. The Egyptians, Greeks, and others spun legends around this bright yellow-orange giant. Arcturus stands high in the eastern sky this evening.


Moon Phases

At the new Moon phase, the Moon is so close to the Sun in the sky that none of the side facing Earth is illuminated (position 1 in illustration). In other words, the Moon is between Earth and Sun. At first quarter, the half-lit Moon is highest in the sky at sunset, then sets about six hours later (3). At full Moon, the Moon is behind Earth in space with respect to the Sun. As the Sun sets, the Moon rises with the side that faces Earth fully exposed to sunlight (5).

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Stardate Magazine

Current Issue: May/JUNE 2025

Night Vision

by Stephen Hummel & Emily Howard

In this issue, we peer into some especially dark skies, and tell you how to find them. We also feature the life and work of Nancy Grace Roman, a NASA pioneer who is the namesake for the next big space telescope.The issue also will offer Merlin’s answers to your questions, skywatching tips, exciting astronomy news, and more.

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  • Stars and Galaxies

    Galaxies contain billions of stars. Do galaxies collide? Do the stars within them collide?

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