StarDate Magazine

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!

Ready to Get Dirty

by Joseph Baneth Allen

This issue highlights NASA’s plans to simplify the analysis of samples of Mars and its largest moon early in the next decade. We’ll also have all the latest astronomy news, a comprehensive two-month stargazing guide for the months of July and August, detailed skycharts, and answers to your astronomy questions from our science guru Merlin.

StarDate July/August 2024 cover

“Ready to Get Dirty”

by Joseph Baneth Allen


“The Old Moon and the Sea”

by Melissa Gaskill

Much of the starry action on summer evenings takes place in the south, as the prominent constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius creep low across the sky. Each is easy to pick out as twilight gives way to darkness. As the night progresses, the glowing arch of the Milky Way climbs overhead, outlining the vast disk of our home galaxy.

  • Tour Dead or Dying Stars
  • Getting Intimate with the Moon
  • Tuning In Mars
  • Super-Heated Planets
  • Taking the Plunge
  • A Quiet Death
  • More Evidence, No Planet
  • Streaming Through the Galaxy

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In the July/August 2024 issue, Merlin answers questions about astronomer communications and nebulas.

Pose your own questions for future issues.

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