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Giant Tails of Helium Observed Escaping Jupiter-Like Planet

June 7, 2023 • by Emily Howard

Astronomers used the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at the McDonald Observatory to discover some of the longest tails of gas yet observed escaping a planet.

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In a room lined with bookshelves, students work on their laptops as a professor, hands in pockets, guides their work.

Features

A Night at the Telescope

March 6, 2026 • by Staff Writer

A computer-simulation shows pixels labeled with stars and an inset. The overall map is labeled 100 million light years. The inset showing swirling gases is labeled 10 M light eyars.

McDonald Observatory

A Sea of Light: HETDEX Astronomers Reveal Hidden Structures in the Young Universe

March 3, 2026 • by Emily Howard