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A research unit of The University of Texas at Austin located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.

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Astronomy research at UT Austin

Latest News

Texas Astronomers Aid Kepler Mission's Discovery of New Planets

Kepler mission astronomers, including co-investigator Bill Cochran of The University of Texas at Austin, announced today the spaceborne telescope has found five new gas giant planets orbiting close to Sun-like stars. More »

Selected Recent News

18 February 2010
Hemenway Awarded Education Prize by American Astronomical Society

17 February 2010
AEP Texas Funds Scholarships for West Texas Schools to Bring Students to Observatory

04 January 2010
Texas Astronomers Aid Kepler Mission's Discovery of New Planets

09 October 2009
Boston University Astronomers Detect Sodium Gas Ejected by Lunar Impact

09 July 2009
New McDonald Observatory Instrument Revolutionizes Galaxy Studies

08 June 2009
Texas-Sized Computer Finds Most Massive Black Hole in Galaxy M87

More news »

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Today's Stargazing Tip

Public ProgramsMarch 15: The Moon is "new" at 4:01 p.m. CDT as it crosses the imaginary line between Earth and Sun. It is lost from sight in the Sun's glare, but should return to view on Wednesday evening as a thin crescent low in the west shortly after sunset.

McDonald Observatory operates an international public outreach program, including the StarDate and Universo radio programs; StarDate magazine; StarDate Online and Universo Online websites.

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