Posts by McDonald Observatory
April 17, 2024
Astronomers Uncover Methane Emission on a Cold Brown Dwarf
Using new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered methane emission on a brown dwarf, an unexpected finding for such a cold and isolated world. Published today in the journal Nature, the findings suggest that this brown dwarf might […]
April 3, 2024
UT Astronomers Use JWST to Probe an Extreme Starburst Galaxy
A team of astronomers, including Danielle Berg and John Chisholm at The University of Texas at Austin, has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to survey the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82). Located 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, this […]
April 3, 2024
NASA Awards Fellowships to Two UT Austin Postdocs
The highly competitive NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) recently named 24 new fellows to its 2024 roster. Among the awardees are Jed McKinney, a postdoctoral fellow at The University of Texas at Austin, and Cheng-Han Hsieh, who will be joining UT Austin […]
March 28, 2024
UT Astronomy Graduate Student Receives Fellowship to Study Exoplanets
The Heising-Simons Foundation has awarded Quang Tran, Ph.D. candidate in The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Astronomy, one of its eight prestigious 51 Pegasi b Fellowships this year. Established in 2017, the fellowship provides postdoctoral scientists the opportunity to conduct […]
March 27, 2024
UT Researcher Leading Project for NASA New Space Telescope
NASA’s newly announced space telescope project, UVEX (Ultra Violet EXplorer), will have researchers from The University of Texas at Austin leading several key projects as the mission examines how galaxies and stars evolve. The estimated $300 million UVEX telescope is expected to […]
March 4, 2024
National Science Board Announces Federal Investment Recommendation
National Science Foundation to deliver funding plan for the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program by May 2024. On February 22, 2024, the National Science Board (NSB) released a statement and resolution regarding National Science Foundation’s (NSF) funding prospects for the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope […]
February 20, 2024
Giant Magellan Telescope Expands Global Science Impact with Taiwanese Partner
The University of Texas at Austin joins the Giant Magellan Telescope today in welcoming Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA), a distinguished Taiwanese research institute, into the Giant Magellan Telescope’s international consortium. ASIAA’s inclusion expands the consortium to 14 international research institutions, of […]
February 9, 2024
Discovery of Unexpected Ultra-Massive Galaxies May Not Rewrite Cosmology, But Still Leaves Questions
Ever since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured its first glimpse of the early Universe, astronomers have been taken aback by the presence of what appear to be more “ultra-massive” galaxies than expected. Based on the most widely accepted cosmological […]
January 30, 2024
LightSound Workshops Make April’s Eclipse More Accessible to Visually Impaired
Through a series of workshops held January 28 and 29 by the LightSound Project and with the support of the UT Austin Department of Astronomy, the University community built 140 LightSound devices. By converting light into sound, these handheld devices make solar […]
December 4, 2023
Ghostlike Dusty Galaxy Reappears in James Webb Space Telescope Image
It first appeared as a glowing blob from ground-based telescopes and then vanished completely in images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Now, the ghostly object has reappeared as a faint, yet distinct galaxy in an image from the James Webb […]
November 30, 2023
Discovery of Planet Too Big for Its Sun Throws Off Models of Solar System Formation
The discovery of a planet that is far too massive for its sun is calling into question what was previously understood about the formation of planets and their solar systems. In a paper November 30, 2023, in the journal Science, a team […]
October 25, 2023
McDonald Observatory Celebrates October Solar Eclipse
On Saturday, October 14, Texans experienced a rare and beautiful annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse. It swept into the state from the border of New Mexico and exited by way of the Coastal Bend. Midland-Odessa, San Antonio, and Corpus […]
October 24, 2023
Permian Basin Area Foundation Supports McDonald Observatory Exhibit Renovations
McDonald Observatory is honored to receive a grant from Permian Basin Area Foundation in support of the Observatory’s ongoing efforts to renovate exhibits at its Frank N. Bash Visitors Center. The exhibits are a meaningful part of the visitor experience, providing an […]
September 26, 2023
The Giant Magellan Telescope’s Final Mirror Fabrication Begins
The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory and other Giant Magellan Telescope partners today shared in announcing the casting of the final primary mirror for the world’s largest telescope. The Giant Magellan Telescope begins the four-year process to fabricate and polish its […]