Posts by McDonald Observatory
November 16, 2017
Next Generation Astronomical Survey to Map the Entire Sky
The next generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V), directed by Juna Kollmeier of the Carnegie Institution for Science, will move forward with mapping the entire sky following a $16 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The […]
November 10, 2017
Hubble Spots Expanding Light Echo Around a Supernova
Voices reverberating off mountains and the sound of footsteps bouncing off walls are examples of an echo. Echoes happen when sound waves ricochet off surfaces and return to the listener. Space has its own version of an echo. It’s not […]
November 3, 2017
UT Austin and Partners Cast Fifth Massive Mirror for Giant Magellan Telescope
Today, The University of Texas at Austin and its partners in the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization (GMTO) are beginning to cast the fifth of seven mirrors that will form the heart of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). The mirror is […]
October 26, 2017
Astronomers Detect Comets Outside our Solar System
Astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin, working with scientists from other institutions and amateur astronomers, have spotted the dusty tails of six exocomets — comets outside our solar system — orbiting a faint star 800 light years from […]
September 28, 2017
Astronomers Solve Mystery of Formation of First Supermassive Black Holes
An international team of researchers has successfully used a supercomputer simulation to recreate the formation of a massive black hole from supersonic gas streams left over from the Big Bang. The study will be published tomorrow in the journal Science, in […]
September 26, 2017
New Telescope Coming Soon to McDonald Observatory
A new 1-meter telescope is coming to The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory in the next two years. The Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) global network is expanding, and will build a second 1-meter telescope at McDonald. “McDonald Observatory […]
July 6, 2017
Hubble Space Telescope Pushed Beyond Limits to Spot Clumps of New Stars in Distant Galaxy
When it comes to the distant universe, even the keen vision of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope can only go so far. Teasing out finer details requires clever thinking and a little help from a cosmic alignment with a gravitational lens. […]
June 5, 2017
Astronomers Prove What Separates True Stars from Wannabes
Astronomer Trent Dupuy of The University of Texas at Austin has shown what separates true stars from wannabes. Not in Hollywood, but in the whole universe. He will present his research today in a news conference at the semi-annual meeting […]
May 30, 2017
Do Stars Fall Quietly into Black Holes, or Crash into Something Utterly Unknown?
Astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University have put a basic principle of black holes to the test, showing that matter completely vanishes when pulled in. Their results constitute another successful test for Albert Einstein’s General […]
April 9, 2017
Upgraded Hobby-Eberly Telescope dedicated April 9; Dark energy survey, other cutting-edge science on the way
The world’s third-largest telescope, the 10-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) located at McDonald Observatory in West Texas, has completed a multiyear $40 Million upgrade to enable it to take on the biggest challenges in astronomy today: unraveling the mystery of dark energy, […]
February 8, 2017
Astronomers Find Faintest Early Galaxies Yet, Probe How the Early Universe Lit Up
Astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a new technique to discover the faintest galaxies yet seen in the early universe —10 times fainter than any previously seen. These galaxies will help astronomers probe a little-understood, but […]
January 24, 2017
Robert N. Shelton Selected as President of Giant Magellan Telescope Organization
The Giant Magellan Telescope Organization (GMTO) today announced the appointment of physicist Robert N. Shelton, PhD, to the position of President, effective February 20, 2017. Dr. Shelton will lead the organization behind the development of the 24.5 meter Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) which is poised […]
December 19, 2016
Famous Red Star Betelgeuse is Spinning Faster than Expected; May Have Swallowed a Companion 100,000 Years Ago
Astronomer J. Craig Wheeler of The University of Texas at Austin thinks that Betelgeuse, the bright red star marking the shoulder of Orion, the hunter, may have had a past that is more interesting than meets the eye. Working with […]
November 16, 2016
Walter E. Massey and Taft Armandroff Selected to Lead Giant Magellan Telescope Board of Directors
The Giant Magellan Telescope Organization (GMTO) today announced the appointment of Walter E. Massey, PhD, and Taft Armandroff, PhD, to the positions of Board Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. Continuing their involvement in new leadership capacities, Massey and Armandroff will […]
August 24, 2016
Astronomers Discover Rocky Planet Orbiting Nearest Star, Proxima Centauri
An international team of astronomers including Michael Endl of The University of Texas at Austin have found clear evidence of a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. The long-sought new world, called Proxima b, orbits its […]