Astronomers Karl Gebhardt and Jens Thomas have used new computer modeling techniques to discover that the black hole at the heart of one, and perhaps all, of the largest nearby giant galaxies is two to three times more massive than previously thought. The result has consquences for theories of galaxy evolution. More »
July 3: Antares, the bright orange star that represents the "heart" of the scorpion, is a little to the lower left of the Moon as darkness falls tonight. Antares is about 600 light-years away. It is one of the largest and brightest stars in the galaxy.
McDonald Observatory operates an international public outreach program, including the StarDate and Universo radio programs; StarDate magazine; StarDate Online and Universo Online websites.