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Northwestern University Joins Giant Magellan Telescope International Consortium

The University of Texas at Austin joined the Giant Magellan Telescope today in announcing that Northwestern University has joined its international consortium to construct the $2.54 billion observatory. 

Pioneering Instrument Returns to McDonald Observatory

After nearly a decade of globetrotting research, a powerful astronomical instrument has returned home to The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory. The Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph (IGRINS) was re-installed on the Observatory’s Harlan J. Smith Telescope on October 17 and expects to start scientific operations on December 10.

Now Accepting Applications for Summer Teacher Workshops

Applications are open for McDonald Observatory teacher professional development workshops. K-12 teachers are invited to join us in summer 2025 for hands-on classroom activities, telescope tours, discussions with resident researchers, and nighttime observations. Check out our offerings and apply before February 12, 2025.

Astronomers Discover Youngest Transiting Planet Ever

On November 20, astronomers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The University of Texas at Austin announced the discovery of the youngest planet ever found using the transit method. With this method, a planet is detected when it passes between its host star and the observer. The planet, named TIDYE-1b, is roughly the size of Jupiter and is an estimated 3 million years old. To put that age into perspective: If Earth were a 50-year-old person, TIDYE-1b would be a 2-week-old infant.

Exhibit in Austin Features Hobby-Eberly Telescope

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope is a powerhouse of astronomical research. You can see it when you visit McDonald Observatory. And now, you can see it in Austin, Texas, too. A scale model of the telescope is featured in a new exhibit about it and its research. "Big Eye on Dark Skies: The Hobby-Eberly Telescope" is on view at Texas Science & Natural History Museum (formerly Texas Memorial Museum) now through spring 2025.