The big dog ambles across the south tonight, led by Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Adhara, one of the dog’s hind legs, is below Sirius. It’s actually much brighter than Sirius, but looks fainter because it’s much farther away.
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Fantastic New Photos!
We've just posted a lot of beautiful new images of McDonald in our gallery. The images by Ethan Tweedie Photography are available for personal use or by news media. Take a look!
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Ancient Solar System has 5 Earth-sized Planets
McDonald Observatory's Dr. William Cochran and colleagues have discovered a solar system similar to ours dating back to the dawn of our Milky Way galaxy. Five planets with sizes between Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun-like star Kepler-444.
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Craig Nance is New Observatory Superintendent
Craig Nance began his tenure as Superintendent of McDonald Observatory January 5. The Superintendent is the on-site manager of the Observatory.
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Black Hole Chokes on a Star
A small telescope at McDonald captured a bright flash that Craig Wheeler and colleagues followed up with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope and others. It turned out to be a black hole swallowing a star — and it's not going down easily.
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McDonald Observatory: Brain Motor
Click to visit our YouTube channel to view this new 15-minute video overview of McDonald Observatory. Narrated by StarDate's Sandy Wood, it discusses our history and the cutting-edge science happening here today.