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June 3, 2024

Radio: Today’s Episode

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Radio: Yesterday’s Episode

Stargazing

  • Dark Clouds

    Some of the most interesting objects in the constellation Ophiuchus look like dark holes in the sky. Instead, they are immense clouds of cold gas and dust. They absorb the light of the stars behind them, so they look almost black.


  • Zapping Mars

    Look for Mars in the dawn sky. It looks like a fairly bright orange star, low in the east at first light. Tomorrow, the planet will stand close to the upper right of the Moon. Mars will climb a little higher into the sky as spring ends and we head into summer.


  • Moon and Mars

    Mars and the Moon are close together the next few mornings. Mars looks like a moderately bright star. It will stand to the lower left of the Moon at dawn tomorrow, and about the same distance to the upper right of the Moon on Monday.


Moon Phases

At the new Moon phase, the Moon is so close to the Sun in the sky that none of the side facing Earth is illuminated (position 1 in illustration). In other words, the Moon is between Earth and Sun. At first quarter, the half-lit Moon is highest in the sky at sunset, then sets about six hours later (3). At full Moon, the Moon is behind Earth in space with respect to the Sun. As the Sun sets, the Moon rises with the side that faces Earth fully exposed to sunlight (5).

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Stardate Magazine

Current Issue: MaY/JUNE 2024

The Return of IGRINS

by Emily Howard

This issue highlights the return of an instrument that studies the infrared universe, and after a decade, it’s about to come home to the McDonald Observatory in Texas. We’ll also have all the latest astronomy news, a comprehensive two-month stargazing guide for the months of May and June, detailed skycharts, and answers to your astronomy questions from our science guru Merlin.

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