https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from University of Texas McDonald Observatory Keith Hawkins, assistant professor of astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin, has used chemical cartography—also known as chemical mapping—to identify regions of the Milky Way's spiral arms that have previously gone undetected. His research, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, demonstrates the value of this pioneering technique in understanding the shape, structure, and evolution of our home Galaxy. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-chemical-cartography-reveals-milky-spiral.html Astronomy Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:17:04 EDT news609005821 A team of astronomers has used observations from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at The University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory to discover some of the longest tails of gas yet observed escaping a planet. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-astronomers-giant-tails-helium-jupiter-like.html Astronomy Wed, 07 Jun 2023 17:29:03 EDT news605377741 A group of astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin has found that a telescope idea shelved by NASA a decade ago can solve a problem that no other telescope can: It would be able to study the first stars in the universe. The team, led by NASA Hubble Fellow Anna Schauer, will publish their results in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal. https://phys.org/news/2020-11-texas-astronomers-revive-idea-ultimately.html Astronomy Mon, 16 Nov 2020 15:42:44 EST news524763759 Fritz Benedict has used data he took over two decades ago with Hubble Space Telescope to confirm the existence of another planet around the Sun's nearest neighbor, Proxima Centauri, and to pin down the planet's orbit and mass. Benedict, an emeritus Senior Research Scientist with McDonald Observatory at The University of Texas at Austin, will present his findings today in a scientific session and then in a press conference at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-astronomer-year-old-hubble-planet-proxima.html Astronomy Tue, 02 Jun 2020 16:28:54 EDT news510334086 New research by Stella Offner, assistant professor of astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin, finds that magnetic waves are an important factor driving the process of star formation within the enormous clouds that birth stars. Her research sheds light on the processes that are responsible for setting the properties of stars, which in turn affects the formation of planets orbiting them, and, ultimately, life on those planets. The research is published in the current issue of the journal Nature Astronomy. https://phys.org/news/2018-09-magnetic-chaos-star-forming-clouds.html Astronomy Thu, 13 Sep 2018 08:34:29 EDT news456046461 The discovery of an eighth planet circling the distant star Kepler-90 by University of Texas at Austin astronomer Andrew Vanderburg and Google's Christopher Shallue overturns our solar system's status as having the highest number of known planets. We're now in a tie. https://phys.org/news/2017-12-discovery-planet-reveals-distant-solar.html Astronomy Thu, 14 Dec 2017 13:35:07 EST news432480878 High school senior Dominick Rowan of Armonk, New York, is making discoveries about other worlds. Working with University of Texas at Austin astronomer Stefano Meschiari, Rowan has helped to find a Jupiter-like planet and has calculated that this type of planet is relatively rare, occurring in three percent of stars overall. Their research is has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. https://phys.org/news/2015-12-high-school-student-planet-frequency.html Astronomy Thu, 10 Dec 2015 06:26:05 EST news368951158 University of Texas astronomer Natalie Gosnell has used Hubble Space Telescope to better understand why some stars aren't evolving as predicted. These so-called "blue stragglers" look hotter and bluer than they should for their advanced age. It's almost as it they were somehow reinvigorated to look much younger than they really are. https://phys.org/news/2015-12-astronomers-mystery-born-stars-hubble.html Astronomy Tue, 08 Dec 2015 05:26:50 EST news368774797 After several years and a massive team effort, one of the world's largest telescopes has opened its giant eye again. The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at The University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory has completed a $25 million upgrade and, now using more of its primary mirror, has achieved "first light" as the world's third-largest optical telescope. https://phys.org/news/2015-11-hobby-eberly-telescope.html Space Exploration Wed, 04 Nov 2015 06:02:42 EST news365839302 (Phys.org) —Astronomers from the University of Texas at Austin and Germany's Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) recently found a surprise when studying some of the oldest star clusters in our galaxy. The stars at the centers of these clusters are rotating around a common axis. It was previously thought any central rotation would have been long erased, leaving the central stars to random orbits. The work has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. https://phys.org/news/2014-05-globular-clusters-rotate-heart.html Astronomy Fri, 09 May 2014 13:11:28 EDT news318859877 (Phys.org) —Astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin and colleagues have used the 2.1-meter Otto Struve Telescope at the university's McDonald Observatory to discover pulsations from the crystalized remnant of a burnt-out star. The finding will allow astronomers to see below the star's atmosphere and into its interior, much like earthquakes allow geologists to study compositions below Earth's surface. The findings appear in the current issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. https://phys.org/news/2013-06-astronomers-pulsations-crystalized-dying-star.html Astronomy Thu, 20 Jun 2013 10:18:01 EDT news290942274 As it does each year, early fall brings crisper air, turning leaves, and the Orionid meteor shower. This year's best viewing will be in the several hours around midnight October 20 and before dawn on October 21, according to the editors of StarDate magazine. https://phys.org/news/2012-10-orionid-meteor-shower-peaks-oct.html Space Exploration Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:48:15 EDT news269779672 (Phys.org)—A group of astronomers led by Gregg Wade of the Royal Military College of Canada have used the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at The University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory and the Canada-France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) on Hawaii's Mauna Kea to measure the most magnetic massive star yet. Their work is published in today's issue of the research journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. https://phys.org/news/2012-09-astronomers-largest-ever-magnetic-field-massive.html Astronomy Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:07:09 EDT news266594431