Tag Archives: astronomy
A Radio Documentary: “Dark Skies, Dark Energies” by Ian Lewis
Here in West Texas, there are two major searches ongoing. While companies in the Permian Basin seek more deposits of oil and gas underground, astronomers at McDonald Observatory are searching the sky for an answer to the question: what is … Continue reading
Astronomers Find Clues In The Case Of The Glowing Space ‘Blobs’
Blobs in space emitting eerie, unexplained light have been puzzling astronomers for more than 15 years. Now, they think they are on to the cause of the mysterious glow.
How To Catch The Biggest Wave In The Universe
An L-shaped machine in Louisiana is hunting for some of the most powerful waves in existence: gravitational waves. This wave detector acts like a giant tape measure to capture bends in space and time.
The Cosmic Campground In New Mexico Is A Sanctuary For Star Gazers
A remote campground in southwest New Mexico has recently become a sanctuary for star gazers seeking a pristine night sky at a time when the rapid spread of light pollution prevents more than half of the world’s population from seeing … Continue reading
Young, large, and in fast orbit: Texas Astronomers find New Exoplanet
This week Texas astronomers announced their discovery of a giant new exoplanet, which orbits close to its star. It’s a young planet: only 11 million years old. And it’s a large planet: 5 times the size of the Earth. What’s … Continue reading
Texas Astronomers Witness Impact of Supernova on Neighboring Star
Texas astronomers announced another discovery this week. A team at the University of Texas at Austin witnessed the impact of an exploding star on a neighboring star. A white dwarf is a dense, low-mass star, in the late stages of … Continue reading
Discovery of New Planet at McDonald Observatory in West Texas
The McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis announced Wednesday the discovery of a new planet. It’s located in the Hyadesstar cluster. The planet is K2-25B. The lead astronomer with the discovery is Andrew Mann. It’s a warm afternoon on top of … Continue reading
Texas Astronomer Solves Decades-Old Mystery About Aging Stars
New research led by Texas Astronomer Dr. Natalie Gosnell, is shedding light on a longstanding mystery about certain stars called “blue stragglers” – stars that appear bluer in color and hotter than they should be given their advanced age. Gosnell, a W. … Continue reading
Texas Astronomers Discover Massive Outbursts in Dying Stars
This week Texas astronomers are announcing a new discovery: that dying stars display massive outbursts as they decay. These hot, bright flashes haven’t been seen before in stars like these. Almost all stars end up as white dwarfs, when they … Continue reading
Kepler Space Telescope Discovers Most Earth-like Planet To Date
Big news this morning from NASA’s planet hunting mission. Dr. Mike Endl, a research scientist with The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory, spoke with the Texas Standard about the mission. Listen back to our episode of West Texas Talk with Dr. Endl … Continue reading