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Vast Molecular Cloud Discovered Near Solar System

An international team of scientists, including from McDonald Observatory at The University of Texas at Austin, has discovered a potentially star-forming cloud that is one of the largest single structures in the sky and among the closest to the Sun and Earth ever to be detected. Scientists estimate that it would look vast to stargazers on Earth - if it were visible - measuring about 40 moons across the sky.

John Good Recognized with UT Outstanding Staff Award

On April 15, The University of Texas at Austin announced its 2025 Outstanding Staff Awards. Thirty-one staff members were selected from a highly competitive pool of nominations. Among those to receive the honor is McDonald Observatory Engineering Scientist John Good.

JWST Awards UT Astronomers 10% of Its Coveted Observing Time

In March, the Space Telescope and Science Institute announced the selection of 274 programs for the fourth year of observations on its James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This includes approximately 8,500 hours of observing time. Of that, a whopping 10 percent (over 800 hours) was awarded to programs led or co-led by astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin.

AAS Names Steven Finkelstein as Fred Kavli Plenary Lecturer for 246th Meeting

With support from the Kavli Foundation, the Vice Presidents of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) name a special invited lecturer to kick off each semiannual AAS meeting with a presentation on recent research of great importance. At the 246th AAS meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, on 9 June 2025, the Fred Kavli Plenary Lecture will be given by Dr. Steven Finkelstein, an astronomer at The University of Texas at Austin.

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.