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July 4, 2026Radio: Today’s Episode
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Radio: Yesterday’s Episode
Venusian Shower
Powering up a distant meteor shower.
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Stargazing
Anniversary Stars
Bellatrix, Spica, and Omega Herculis are all good “semiquincentennial” stars. All three of them are roughly 250 light-years away, so we see them as they looked roughly 250 years ago, near the time of the Declaration of Independence.
Summer Triangle
Vega, the brightest star of Lyra, the harp, is high in the east at nightfall. Deneb, the tail of Cygnus, the swan, is to the lower left of Vega, with Altair, the brightest star of Aquila, the eagle, a little farther to the lower right of Vega.
Mars and Uranus
Mars is low in the east-northeast at dawn, and looks like a modestly bright star. Tomorrow, much fainter Uranus will be quite close to the lower left of Mars, so both of them will fit in a binocular field of view. Uranus will stand closer above Mars on Saturday.
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: JULY/AUGUST 2026
From Canals to Poppy Seeds and Leopard Spots
by Damond Benningfield
Twin Viking landers touched down on Mars 50 years ago, and one of their experiments found evidence of life, which was quickly discounted. But the debate continues, and we’ll review the Viking findings along with other claims of possible life on the Red Planet. We’ll also tell you how planetariums are adapting to the ages of the Internet and social media.
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Fun Factoid
More fun facts in our Astro Field Guide!
Star Teachers
Stars and Galaxies
Galaxies contain billions of stars. Do galaxies collide? Do the stars within them collide?