Posts by McDonald Observatory
April 18, 2006
Giant Magellan Telescope Group Gains Partner Down Under
The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), the first extremely large new-generation telescope to begin production has gained a new partner — the Australian National University (ANU) . The announcement made today comes from the Giant Magellan Telescope consortium. Other consortium members include the Carnegie […]
April 4, 2006
McDonald Observatory introduces new Fire Marshal, more during ‘Texas Wildfire Awareness Week’
This is Wildfire Awareness Week in Texas, and McDonald Observatory is introducing our new Fire Marshal, upgraded safety measures, new equipment, and a partnership with the Fort Davis Fire Department. In 2004, the Observatory formulated a plan to make upgrades […]
March 27, 2006
New ‘MONET/North’ telescope to be dedicated at McDonald Observatory tomorrow
An international partnership between McDonald Observatory, the University of Göttingen in Germany, and the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) will dedicate a new telescope at McDonald Observatory tomorrow. The media are cordially invited to attend; see details at end. The […]
March 9, 2006
International team of astronomers discovers origins of ‘extreme helium stars’
An international group of astronomers including Dr. David L. Lambert, director of The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory, has used Hubble Space Telescope to determine the origin of a very unusual and rare type of star. The group’s […]
February 20, 2006
Amateur astronomers make first sighting of ’10th planet’ through McDonald Observatory telescope
A group of amateur astronomers has used the 2.1-meter (82-inch) Otto Struve Telescope at McDonald Observatory to make the first “through-the-eyepiece” sighting of the so-called tenth planet, an object orbiting the Sun in the Kuiper Belt, far beyond Pluto. The […]
January 11, 2006
Astronomers Use Spitzer Space Telescope to Challenge Brown Dwarf Formation Models
The formation process that creates brown dwarfs has long been a mystery. In terms of their mass, “brown dwarfs are found in the ‘no-man’s land’ between stars and planets,” Evans says. “They have masses too small to be a star, […]
December 1, 2005
Astronomers find most stable optical clock in the heavens
FORT DAVIS , TEXAS — After 31 years of tracking the light-output of a burnt-out star from telescopes at McDonald Observatory, astronomer S.O. Kepler of Brazil’s Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and a slew of University of Texas […]
November 9, 2005
University of Texas at Austin helped build giant African telescope
SUTHERLAND, SOUTH AFRICA — Tomorrow, a global group of partners will inaugurate the newly completed 11-meter Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere and, like the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) in Texas, one of the world’s […]
September 20, 2005
Astronomers find improved evidence for supermassive black hole in Andromeda galaxy, uncover new mystery
AUSTIN, Texas — Astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to see closer to the center in our neighboring Andromeda galaxy than in any other galaxy except our own. In doing so, they dramatically improved the evidence that a supermassive […]
September 8, 2005
Texas astronomers, others find dead stars collecting dust
MAUNA KEA, Hawaii — Two independent teams of astronomers using telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii have glimpsed dusty debris around an essentially dead star where gravity and radiation should have long ago removed any sign of dust. The discovery might […]
September 1, 2005
Beautiful images from SALT mark ‘first light’ for Africa’s giant eye
JOHANNESBURG/CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — Exactly five years after ground-breaking, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) has released its first images. These images mark “first light” for Africa’s giant eye and ensure South Africa’s place in the international scientific community. […]
July 25, 2005
Joint project with Texas Forest Service makes McDonald Observatory safer, brings national recognition
(Texas Forest Service press release) FORT DAVIS, Texas — When dry lightning sparked several wildfires in the Davis Mountains July 1, staff at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory knew, once again, the famous observatory may be threatened by […]
July 21, 2005
Texas flagship universities celebrate milestone in Giant Magellan Telescope partnership
TUCSON, Ariz. — A swirling vat of molten glass is bringing officials and scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University to Tucson this week. Along with their other five partners, the two flagship universities are […]
June 7, 2005
McDonald Observatory receives $750,000 gift from Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
AUSTIN, Texas — The W.J. McDonald Observatory of The University of Texas at Austin has received a pledge of a $750,000 joint donation from George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell, The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, and the George and […]
May 26, 2005
Six College Students to Spend Summer at McDonald Observatory
FORT DAVIS, Texas — Six college students from around the nation will spend this summer living and working at McDonald Observatory in West Texas, a major research arm of the University of Texas at Austin. They were chosen from among […]
May 13, 2005
McDonald Observatory explains ‘space weather’ to students live via statewide videoconference
Fort Davis, Texas — Today, sixth through eighth-grade students in schools across Texas will be linked live via videoconference with McDonald Observatory in West Texas to learn about space weather. The event is part of the day-long videoconference “Texas Connects: […]