The brightest star in the night sky has a companion that's a bare cosmic ember — a stellar corpse known as a white dwarf. Join us for brilliant Sirius, its faint companion, and much more about white dwarfs.
Radio's Guide to the Universe
StarDate celebrated its 10,000th broadcast on February 15, 2006. The program debuted in 1978, making it the longest-running national radio science feature in the country. It airs on more than 360 radio stations in the United States.
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 many diverse interests to keep up with the universe.
StarDate is a production of The University of Texas McDonald Observatory, which also produces the Spanish-language Universo radio program and Universo Online web site and the bi-monthly StarDate magazine.
Today's Program
Listen to Recent Programs
| Feb. 3: | White Dwarfs III |
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| Feb. 2: | White Dwarfs II |
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| Feb. 1: | White Dwarfs |
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| Jan. 31: | Sirius B |
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| Jan. 30: | Sirius |
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Coming Up on StarDate
January 30-February 5: Stellar Opposites
February 6-12: Planetary Pointer
The planet Venus shines as the brilliant “evening star” this week. And it points the way to a faint planetary giant. Join us for this planetary encounter, plus some cracklin’ displays in alien skies.
February 13-19: Winter Wonderland
The Moon is a minor presence in the night sky this week, allowing another wonder to shine through: the winter Milky Way. We’ll have details on this thinly settled region of the galaxy plus much more.
February 20-26: A Bright Demise
The brightest exploding star of the last four centuries erupted into view 25 years ago. We’ll have details about the explosion and its aftermath, plus a giant stride in the Space Race.
February 27-29: Leap Day
One of the oddities of the modern calendar is Leap Day — a day added every fourth year to keep the calendar in line with the seasons. We’ll talk about the history of Leap Day, plus the colors of the stars and more.
