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
Impostor!
A binary star system about 30 million light-years away is an impostor. When astronomers first saw it, they thought it was a supernova — the titanic explosion of a massive star. They even called it one: Supernova 2000ch. But the system is still there.
The system is in the spiral galaxy NGC 3432, in a clump of young, bright, heavy stars.
By the end of last year, 2000ch had produced 23 outbursts. They’ve been about six and a half months apart. Based on that interval, the way the system brightens and fades, and other details, astronomers have developed a model of what’s going on.
The system’s main star is dozens of times the mass of the Sun, and a million times brighter. It’s also unstable — it puffs in and out.
A smaller companion star follows a lopsided orbit. During its close approaches, it stirs up the brighter star, triggering an outburst. And if the main star is in its “puffier” phase, then the outburst is especially bright.
The system may be building up to a much bigger outburst in the fairly near future. And after that, the massive star could explode as a supernova — no longer an “impostor,” but the real thing.
NGC 3432 is in Leo Minor, the little lion. It’s too faint to see without a telescope. But it’s high above the Moon as darkness falls tonight. The bright star Regulus — the heart of the big lion — is to the left of the Moon. More about that meeting tomorrow.
Script by Damond Benningfield
Upcoming Topics
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May 20-26: Sun and Moon
We’ll talk about our moon and star this week, from the face of the “man” in the Moon, to the possibility that a tiny black hole could be lurking in the heart of the Sun.
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May 13-19: Giants
We’ll talk about all kinds of giants this week, including giant planets in another star system, the giant of our own solar system, and giant eruptions from a stellar “impostor.”
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May 6-12: “The Butting Ones”
One of the horns of the bull is marked by the star “Elnath” — a name that means “the butting one.” The name has a special significance for Star Date and its fans, and we’ll explain why.