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.
Make a Cosmic Connection on Your iPhone

Make a Cosmic Connection on Your iPhone

The free University of Texas iPhone app provides timely information from McDonald Observatory. Get our latest news, see a photo gallery, and use the interactive map and driving directions to find us. Enjoy weekly skywatching tips, listen to StarDate radio, and find out what's in the latest issue of StarDate magazine.

This Week in the Domes

In the Sky

May 24

A new cycle of eclipses begins tonight as the full Moon just dips its toe in Earth’s faint outer shadow, the penumbra. That shadow will cover just about one percent of the lunar disk, but it is so faint that no one will notice the difference.

More stargazing »