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Tiny Galaxy, Big Find: Black Hole Discovered in Nearby Segue 1

Believe it or not, there's a galaxy at the center of this image. Segue 1 is a very faint dwarf galaxy that contains few stars. New research suggests that at its heart lies an unexpected, gigantic black hole

Born Together: A New Look at Binary Stars

Peering into the universe’s dark, hazy cosmos to catch the first glimpses of infant stars has long challenged astronomers. The cloud of dense gas and dust that gives rise to these stellar embryos also conceals them. However, a recent study has pierced through the clouds and illuminated the birth of stars, suggesting that stars begin their lives in small families, bound in a gravitational embrace from the start. 

Local Properties Keep Our Stars Bright with Night Sky Friendly Lighting

The night sky is a treasured part of life in the Big Bend region – an awe-inspiring backdrop to our lives. Preserving it takes the support of all in our community. In this effort, three organizations with local properties – Village Fresh Greenhouse Grown, the Brewster County Courthouse, and Terlingua Ranch Lodge – are the latest to adopt nighttime lighting that helps keep our skies dark and stars bright.

UT Austin Welcomes MIT to Giant Magellan Telescope International Consortium

The University of Texas at Austin joins with other members of the Giant Magellan Telescope today in welcoming the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to the international consortium, constructing the $2.6 billion observatory in Chile. The Institute’s participation is enabled by a gift to MIT from philanthropists Phillip (Terry) Ragon ’72 and Susan Ragon.

A Cosmic Puzzle: Phosphine Found in One Brown Dwarf, Missing in Others

A team of researchers, including those at McDonald Observatory, has announced the first significant detection of phosphine in the atmosphere of a cool brown dwarf named Wolf 1130C. With the discovery, astronomers are a step closer to understanding the processes behind how this molecule – an important marker for life - forms. They are also left scratching their heads as to why they haven’t yet detected it in other, similar objects.

Help Renovate Our Visitors Center - Gifts Being Matched!

As our Frank N. Bash Visitors Center enters its third decade in service, we’ve started an extensive renovation of its public spaces. You are invited to be part of this transformative project by contributing to its funding. All gifts are currently being matched by sponsors!