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June 5, 2026Radio: Today’s Episode
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Venus and Jupiter
A close encounter in the evening sky
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Radio: Yesterday’s Episode
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Tie-Dyed Sky
Tie-dying the night sky
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Stargazing
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Venus and Jupiter
Venus and Jupiter are staging one of the top skywatching events of the year-an especially close encounter of the two brightest points of light in the night sky. It plays out in the west over the next few evenings.
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Omega Centauri
The Omega Centauri star cluster puts in a late-evening appearance. It stands highest above the southern horizon around 10 p.m. and looks like a faint smudge of light. It is about 17,000 light-years away, and contains a million stars or more.
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Head Cases
Hercules and Ophiuchus stand almost head to head in the east and southeast this evening. Each has a star with an Arabic name that means “the head.” In Hercules, it’s Ras Algethi (head of the kneeler); in Ophiuchus, Rasalhague (head of the serpent bearer).
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).
Today’s Sponsor
Stardate Magazine
Current Issue: MAY/JUNE 2026
A Match Made in the Cosmos
by Olivia Castillo
We’ll tell you how scientists at the University of Texas are using artificial intelligence to study the stars. And we’ll explain how one long-distance explorer is finding its way beyond the realm of the planets.
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Star Teachers
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Stars and Galaxies
Galaxies contain billions of stars. Do galaxies collide? Do the stars within them collide?