Texas Capitol building

Texas Legislators Honor Observatory's 75th Anniversary

On April 23rd, the Texas House of Representatives and Senate honored The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory for 75 years of discovery. The anniversary is coming up in May  2014, and McDonald Observatory plans a full year of celebrations across the state beginning this September and running through next August.

 
NGC 1277

HET Measures Most Massive, Most Unusual Black Hole

Karl Gebhardt and his team have used the Hobby-Eberly Telescope to weigh possibly the heaviest black hole yet — 17 billion Suns — in galaxy NGC 1277. The black hole makes up 14% of its galaxy's mass, 100 times more than most. The find could change theories of how black holes and galaxies form and evolve.
Pavers

Sundial Court Pavers

McDonald Observatory is an astronomical treasure trove for millions. Support the education and outreach programs that take place there every day with a Commemorative Sundial Court Paver. It's the perfect way to give back to a place you love while also honoring your loved ones.
Tycho's Supernova

The White Widow

J. Craig Wheeler has a new idea on the identity of the "parents" of one of the most important types of supernovae — the Type Ia, those used as "standard candles" in cosmology studies that led to the discovery of dark energy, the mysterious force causing the universe's expansion to speed up.

This Week in the Domes

In the Sky

June 19

The planet Saturn is in good view tonight. It looks like a bright star to the upper right of the Moon at nightfall. Saturn stays with the Moon as they swing across the southwest and set in the early morning.

More stargazing »