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Your Guide to the Universe

StarDate magazine keeps you in touch with the universe with detailed skywatching information, in-depth features, the latest astronomy news, and more. Six issues per year, including the Sky Almanac issue in January! Subscribe today!

Current Issue: September/October 2022

First feature, July-August 2022

Going to the Robots
Remotely scheduled and operated telescopes allow astronomers to observe the universe from the comfort of home. Of course, that means they don’t get to enjoy a trip to the telescope and a night under the stars.
By Melissa Gaskill

Second feature, July-August 2022

To the Observatory Born
McDonald Observatory’s founding director survived war and poverty, mastered one of astronomy’s most important tools, and built a scientific powerhouse.
By Damond Benningfield

Merlin

Merlin follows three explorers beyond the solar system, explains an odd finding about an asteroid, and compiles some galaxy catalogs.

Pose your own questions for future issues.

Sky Highlights

Bright planets highlight the night skies of late summer and early autumn. Saturn leads the way, followed by brilliant Jupiter and orange Mars, which grows brighter night by night. The Summer Triangle stands at its highest as summer draws to a close, while some of the best sights of autumn nights creep higher into the evening sky.

Miscellany

Voyaging through the solar system, a regal planet, and volunteering for astronomy

AstroNews

James Webb Space Telescope compiled this view of thousands of galaxies, including some whose light is “warped” by the gravity of intervening galaxies, creating bright arcs.

  • A European records the “jiggles” of a hundred thousand stars, logs a record haul of binaries, plots asteroids, and much more.
  • James Webb Space Telescope provides the first of many spectacular glimpses of the universe.
  • NASA grounds a flying observatory.
  • A “dart” takes aim at an asteroid.

In the Next Issue

We already know that a giant asteroid was a dinosaur killer, but scientists are finding more evidence that asteroids have killed people as well, and we’ll provide details. We’ll also describe efforts to find and deflect asteroids that might be on a collision course with Earth.

Download a sample issue (PDF)
 

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Cover of September/October StarDate magazine