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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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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

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

21 October 2009
Hemenway Speaks on 'The Galileo Scandal' in El Paso October 23

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 ProgramsFebruary 9: The Orion Nebula is a giant stellar nursery -- a cocoon of gas and dust that has given birth to thousands of stars. It is in the south on winter evenings. The nebula is a faint smudge of light just below the three bright stars that mark Orion’s Belt.

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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