McDonald Observatory's StarDate Radio and Magazine

Who We Are

Founded in 1939, The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory hosts multiple telescopes undertaking a variety of astronomical research under the darkest night skies of any professional observatory in the continental United States. McDonald is home to one of the world's largest telescopes, the 10-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope, and is pioneering the next generation of astronomical research as a partner in the Giant Magellan Telescope. The Observatory is an international leader in astronomy education and outreach, with StarDate radio as one of its flagship (and most beloved) outreach programs.

What We're Fundraising For

StarDate is the longest running national radio science feature in the United States. The daily two-minute program is heard by 2 million listeners on more than 350 radio stations across the country. Programs tell listeners what to look for in the night sky and explain astronomical science, history, and skylore, while keeping listeners up to date on the latest research findings and space missions.

StarDate production and distribution costs about $400,000, which is funded by listeners and readers, foundations, endowments, and donors like you! Every year, we need to raise about $100,000 in gifts to keep StarDate on air and in your hands.

Listen to an episode of StarDate online:

• March 17, 2025: Coma Berenices (a constellation named after the hair of an ancient Egyptian queen)
• March 21, 2025: Fast Radio Bursts

Listen to StarDate on your local radio station:

• Austin, TX: KUT 90.5 FM Sat & Sun at 7:04 p.m.
• Marfa, TX: KRTS Mon-Sun at 9:59 a.m. & 6:59 p.m.
• Find us on your station using our station finder tool
• Suggest a station in your area on which you’d like to hear StarDate by emailing stations@stardate.org

Your Impact

Your donation helps keeps StarDate Radio on the airwaves across the United States and beyond! Donations offset production costs, top-notch science writers, and voice talent: all to create unique content that educates millions of people about our Universe.

StarDate by the numbers:

• $500 to record one episode of StarDate Radio
• $25,000 to print one issue of StarDate Magazine
• $30 to cover one school’s free subscription for a year. What a bargain!
• We spend over $30,000 in postage each year. That’s a lot of stamps!

StarDate for Schools:

Thanks to funding from family foundations and endowments, we’re able to offer free annual subscriptions to StarDate magazine to teachers who attend our professional development workshops for their classroom and/or library. We also invite the public to sign up a Texas school in September during the Back-to-School magazine promotion. In 2025, we’re expanding the classroom subscriptions for schools in our surrounding area to include student subscriptions.