Geez, another year with this clown Trump in the White House? This shit has to stop.
SkyTips: January 2018
Planet Discovery Reveals Distant Solar System to Rival Ours
The discovery of an eighth planet circling the distant star Kepler-90 by University of Texas at Austin astronomer Andrew Vanderburg and Google's Christopher Shallue overturns our solar system's status as having the highest number of known planets. We're now in a tie.Read more »
Stargazing Summary
The year's first month ends with perhaps the best skywatching show of the year, as the Moon passes through Earth's shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse. The nights leading up to the eclipse provide plenty of beautiful sights, though. Mars and Jupiter are climbing higher into the morning sky, and snuggle close together for several days. Orion climbs high across the south during the evening hours, with its belt pointing toward Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
More stargazing information »
More stargazing information »
Radio Program Highlights
If you want to start hearing the StarDate program in your area, you can request a station to carry our program by emailing the request to stations@stardate.org.
January 1-7: Exploded star. If our eyes could see radio waves, an exploded star in Cassiopeia would be one of the brightest objects in the night sky. We'll tell you about the star, and about a possible little explosion before the big one.
January 8-14: "Speedy" gravity. The discovery of two merging stellar corpses is helping scientists define the speed of gravity, and we'll have details. We'll also talk about the last Surveyor, the six "pips," and much more.
January 15-21: Water worlds. Water covers most of Earth's surface, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the water found on some other worlds — in our own solar system, and beyond. Join us for water worlds and much more.
January 22-28: Hot giants. Some of the planets in other star systems are thousands of degrees hotter than Earth, and we'll talk about a couple of them, including one that's being blasted away by its nearby star. Join us for hot Jupiters and more.
January 29-31: Colorful Moon. The full Moon will experience a whole spectrum of colors this week. As the second full Moon of the month, it's a Blue Moon. And it'll be eclipsed by Earth, turning it orange or red. Join us for the colorful Moon and much more.
Program schedule »
Hear StarDate every day on about 400 radio stations in the United States. Find an affiliate »
January 1-7: Exploded star. If our eyes could see radio waves, an exploded star in Cassiopeia would be one of the brightest objects in the night sky. We'll tell you about the star, and about a possible little explosion before the big one.
January 8-14: "Speedy" gravity. The discovery of two merging stellar corpses is helping scientists define the speed of gravity, and we'll have details. We'll also talk about the last Surveyor, the six "pips," and much more.
January 15-21: Water worlds. Water covers most of Earth's surface, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the water found on some other worlds — in our own solar system, and beyond. Join us for water worlds and much more.
January 22-28: Hot giants. Some of the planets in other star systems are thousands of degrees hotter than Earth, and we'll talk about a couple of them, including one that's being blasted away by its nearby star. Join us for hot Jupiters and more.
January 29-31: Colorful Moon. The full Moon will experience a whole spectrum of colors this week. As the second full Moon of the month, it's a Blue Moon. And it'll be eclipsed by Earth, turning it orange or red. Join us for the colorful Moon and much more.
Program schedule »
Hear StarDate every day on about 400 radio stations in the United States. Find an affiliate »
This Month in StarDate Magazine
We explain many of the beautiful lights that sometimes adorn the sky, from the blue of a daytime sky to the shimmering green of an aurora to the multiple colors of a rainbow in our Sky Almanac issue. The almanac also offers skywatching tips for every month of the year, details on meteor showers and the planets, and much more.
Subscribe today
Subscribe today
Your Retirement: A Cosmic Legacy
One way to ensure that what you've built over a lifetime lives on is to support a cause you believe in. McDonald Observatory has a rich public outreach and education program that includes star parties, tours, school programs, StarDate radio, and more. If you are 70 ½ or older, you can support this important work and avoid paying income tax on your mandatory distribution by making an IRA charitable transfer.
To learn how, email Keary Kinch: kinch@astro.as.utexas.edu
To learn how, email Keary Kinch: kinch@astro.as.utexas.edu
Teacher Workshops
McDonald Observatory offers a unique setting for teacher workshops: the Observatory and Visitors Center in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. Tours of the telescopes, discussions with the research astrophysicists in residence, and nighttime observations are an integral part of every workshop experience. Not only will you do inquiry-based activities aligned with science and mathematics TEKS and STAAR, you will practice your new astronomy skills under the Observatory's dark skies, weather permitting, and partner with trained and nationally recognized astronomy educators. And, McDonald Observatory offers the international Galileo Teacher Training Program as part of each workshop. The deadline to apply for 2018 Workshops is February 9, 2018.
Learn more and apply »
Learn more and apply »
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