Activities

EarthDate is a public service radio program and accompanying website with a mission to engage listeners in Earth science and connect them to the wonders of their world. Each EarthDate radio episode tells a captivating two-minute story that reminds listeners how science can enlighten, educate, and entertain. Every topic is accompanied by an article, educational PDFs for classroom or home use, and links to further reading on the EarthDate website. EarthDate was conceived of and is hosted by Dr. Scott W. Tinker, Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin. Each episode is written and directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Harry Lynch and researched by Juli Hennings, a career geoscientist.

This video presentation of Space: Fact vs. Fiction contrasts a number of common and not so common misconceptions about space by sharing the real facts about those issues. Issue topics include gravity, living in space, rockets, atmospheric entry, the costs and benefits of space exploration, the civilian space program, Star Trek and extra-terrestrials.

Feast your eyes on the sun as you’ve never seen it before: live, through specially filtered telescopes and cameras. Learn about sunspots, prominences, solar flares, and more. As a bonus, learn how, when, and where to safely view the upcoming total solar eclipse, a once in a life time event, on April 8, 2024. The host and moderators will answer your questions live.

Take part in a special night time Explore UT program, starting at 10 p.m., to go where no human has gone before: thousands of light years from Earth. Join the McDonald Observatory for a live tour of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and more through a research-grade telescope in West Texas. An astronomer will discuss the unique features and scientific observations of each target and moderators will answer your questions live.