Radio’s Guide to the Universe

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

Eris

Pluto is the largest known member of the Kuiper Belt – a wide zone beyond the orbit of Neptune, the Sun’s most remote major planet. But Pluto isn’t the most massive member of the belt. That distinction goes to Eris – a fellow dwarf planet that may be a lot like Pluto.Eris was discovered almost 20 years ago. It wasn’t noticed earlier because it’s a long way from the Sun – almost three times Pluto’s distance. At that range, it looks quite faint. And it creeps along against the background of stars, so it took a while to realize that it’s a member of the solar system.Eris is a tiny bit smaller than Pluto. But it’s a good bit more massive. That means it’s denser than Pluto – it has a higher ratio of rock to ice. But like Pluto, it’s probably still geologically active.One indication of that is that the surface of Eris is almost pure white – it reflects almost all of the sunlight that strikes it. That suggests that fresh ice is erupting from its interior, repaving the surface.Another indication is the chemistry of methane ice at the surface. Observations by Webb Space Telescope showed that the methane probably formed from chemical reactions between water and carbon inside the little world. Such material must be constantly renewed – oozing to the surface through cracks or holes in the icy surface of Eris – the heaviest of the Sun’s dwarf planets.We’ll talk about another dwarf planet tomorrow.Script by Damond Benningfield
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Upcoming Topics

  • July 15-21: The Scorpion

    Scorpius is one of the easiest constellations to spot. It’s also one of the most interesting, with supergiant stars, busy star clusters, and much more.

  • July 8-14: Dwarf Planets

    Lots of small, icy worlds patrol the deep-freeze of the outer solar system, and we’ll have details. We’ll also talk about a stellar time machine, some bits of celestial glass in Texas, and more.

  • July 1-7: Far from the Sun

    Earth is farthest from the Sun for the entire year this week, and we’ll explain why that’s the case, and tell you how the distance changes over time. Please join me us this, plus some young-looking moons, “failed stars,” and more.

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