Tag Archives: science
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
Sinkhole Warnings Don’t Faze West Texas
WINK — Sheriff George Keely’s truck bobbed as he cruised down a particularly warped and cracked stretch of county road. “This is the road I don’t like to drive on if I don’t have to,” he said as brown-green West … Continue reading
Blue Origin Will Live-Stream Video of Next Rocket Launch
Update Thursday, 11:00 AM The commercial space company Blue Origin will live-stream video of a rocket launch from its test site in West Texas for the first time this weekend. The launch was originally planned for Friday, but the company’s billionaire … Continue reading
Blue Origin Completes Another Rocket Launch from West Texas
This story has been updated. The commercial space company Blue Origin completed another test launch Saturday morning from its secretive facility north of Van Horn in rural West Texas. The company’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, live-Tweeting during the launch in … 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
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
How A French Wasp Could Tighten Border Security
In South Texas, a bamboo-like reed called carrizo cane is wreaking havoc. It’s been described by border patrol agents as “Sherwood Forest”. Attempts to tackle the weed – including cutting, burning and bulldozing – haven’t done the job. Now the state … Continue reading
New Telescope Mirrors Will Help McDonald Observatory Researchers Study Dark Energy
Almost seven years ago, teams of engineers and scientists began designing mirrors for a telescope to study the universe’s dark energy. That’s the mysterious energy many scientists theorize the universe is largely made up of. No such mirrors had ever … Continue reading