Radio’s Guide to the Universe — StarDate Online (original) (raw)

StarDate host Billy Henry

StarDate debuted in 1978, making it the longest-running national radio science feature in the country. It airs on more than 300 radio stations. It has been hosted by Billy Henry since July 2019.

StarDate tells listeners what to look for in the night sky, and explains the science, history, and skylore behind these objects. It also keeps listeners up to date on the latest research findings and space missions. And it offers tidbits on astronomy in the arts and popular culture, providing ways for people with diverse interests to keep up with the universe.

StarDate is a production of The University of Texas McDonald Observatory, which also produces the bi-monthly StarDate magazine.

The Voice of StarDate

Billy Henry, a voice talent, musician, composer, and college lecturer in Austin is the third narrator of the StarDate radio program. Read more »

The Music of StarDate

The StarDate background music was written by Bill Harwell and Patterson Barrett specifically for StarDate.

More Than 40 Years and Counting!

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. It quickly reached more than 1,000 stations across the country. Read more »

Today’s Episode

Moon and Companions

A beautiful triangle decorates the dawn sky tomorrow. Two of its points are easy to see: the crescent Moon and the planet Venus, the “morning star.” The final point is a bit tougher: the planet Saturn, to the upper right of the Moon. It’s just half of one percent as bright as Venus, but its proximity to the brighter bodies will help it stand out.Saturn is about as faint as it ever looks right now. One reason is that it’s just emerging from behind the Sun, so it’s about as far as it ever gets from Earth – more than 950 million miles.The other reason is our view of Saturn’s rings. The rings span almost the distance from Earth to the Moon, and they’re made mainly of small bits of ice, which reflect a lot of sunlight. But the angle at which we see the rings changes – a result of Saturn’s changing seasons.Saturn is tilted at about the same angle as Earth. At the solstices, one of Saturn’s poles dips toward the Sun, so we see the rings at their best angle. That makes the planet especially bright.At the equinoxes, though, the rings are “closed” – we see them edge-on. The rings are no more than a few hundred feet thick, so they all but disappear. That makes the planet look much fainter than average.Saturn will reach an equinox in early May, so the rings have basically vanished. They’ll slowly tilt back into view over the coming months, and reach their greatest angle at Saturn’s winter solstice – in 2032.Script by Damond Benningfield

Upcoming Topics

The most-distant object visible through backyard telescopes is both bright and dark — a quasar — and we’ll have details. We’ll also tell you about a black hole with two companion stars. Please join us for black holes and more

The crescent Moon and the crescent planet Venus decorate the dawn sky this week. So does the ringed planet Saturn, and we’ll fill you in on the details. Please join us for crescents, rings and much more.

Many of the stars in our galaxy have close companions. And some of them are especially close — they’re actually touching each other. Please join us for “sharing” stars, plus an encounter with an asteroid and more