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UT Astronomer Appointed President of Organization Building World’s Most Powerful Telescope

GMTO Corporation — the international consortium building the world’s most powerful telescope, the Giant Magellan — today announced it has appointed The University of Texas at Austin’s Daniel T. Jaffe as president. He is one of two UT astronomers recently named to key leadership positions. Taft Armandroff, director of the McDonald Observatory, was elected in November to chair the GMTO board of director.

January 14 Live Deep Sky Tour: Orion

Join the McDonald Observatory on January 14th as we explore the constellation Orion! We will learn about Orion's cultural significance in early astronomy and explore some targets located in the constellation. If weather permits, we will show live views of Orion.

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!

Unique Shape of Star’s Explosion Revealed Just a Day After Detection

For the first time, astronomers unveiled the shape of a star's explosion at its earliest, fleeting stage. This brief initial phase wouldn’t have been observable a day later and helps address a whole set of questions about how massive stars go supernova. “This particular series of observations on 2024ggi is absolutely unprecedented,” said J. Craig Wheeler, an astronomer at The University of Texas at Austin.