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UT Astronomer Finds Smallest Brown Dwarfs Yet

The Flame Nebula, located about 1,400 light-years away from Earth, is a hotbed of star formation less than 1 million years old. Within it, there are objects so small that their cores will never be able to fuse hydrogen like full-fledged stars — brown dwarfs. Astronomers have long debated how small brown dwarfs can be. Now, a new study sheds light on this question by finding the lowest mass brown dwarfs yet.

Spend Spring Break with Us!

McDonald Observatory is a popular destination for Spring Breakers across the country. To serve as many visitors as possible, we will offer an altered schedule of modified programming from March 8-22. This includes extra Star Parties. As a reminder, we are closed to the public on Sundays and Mondays. We recommend buying your tickets in advance - they often sell out!

New Energy Industry Guidelines Help Protect Night Sky

Protecting the night sky is a collaborative endeavor - one The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory has helped lead in West Texas since the launch of its Dark Skies Initiative in 2010. Now, oil and gas facilities in nearby New Mexico are joining the effort, with help from a new set of lighting guidelines tailored to their industry.

Work with the Stars! McDonald Observatory is hiring.

Work with McDonald Observatory

McDonald Observatory is currently hiring for positions located at the Observatory near beautiful Fort Davis, Texas. Join our team! 

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.