This Week's Observing Projects
Earth

Is Earth Unique?

Is Earth unique in the universe? No one, not even astronomers, knows for sure. One way to begin to find out is to look for planetary systems around other stars that are similar to our own.
Kepler

Following Up On Planet Discoveries from Space

McDonald Observatory astronomer Bill Cochran is following up on possible planet discoveries from NASA's Kepler mission using the 2.7-meter Harlan J. Smith Telescope at McDonald.
Supernova 1994d

Things that go Boom!

Our understanding of the exploded stars called supernovae is based on our observations of these (fortunately quite distant) rare and catastrophic events, which usually result in the wholesale destruction of a star.