News: Astronomy
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
Astronomers Confirm Maisie’s Galaxy is Among Earliest Ever Observed
Detected with the James Webb Space Telescope, Maisie’s galaxy was observed 390 million years after the Big Bang.
Chemical Cartography Reveals the Milky Way’s Spiral Arms
The method overcomes the challenges of dust that block the view of some of the Milky Way's stars.
UT Austin Ranks among Top U.S. Universities in Nature Index
Among U.S. universities, UT ranks 17th in natural sciences, 8th in physical sciences and 7th in chemistry.
Webb Telescope Detects Most Distant Active Supermassive Black Hole
At about 9 solar masses, this black hole is a real lightweight compared to previously seen ones in the early universe that are typically 1...
Science News
Muñoz Named Among Science News’ SN 10 List of Scientists to Watch
The scientist developed a ruler with the power to size up the early university and shed light on the cosmic dawn.
New Era of Exoplanet Discovery Begins with Images of ‘Jupiter’s Younger Sibling’
Astrometry uses the shift in a star’s position on the sky relative to other stars to infer the existence of orbiting planets.
McDonald Observatory
Giant Tails of Helium Observed Escaping Jupiter-Like Planet
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.
James Webb Space Telescope Images Challenge Theories of How Universe Evolved
Hefty young galaxies defy the reigning model of cosmology, called "dark energy + cold dark matter" or ΛCDM.
James Webb’s First Stunning Image of Cassiopeia A, Fragments of a Hellish Explosion
A new image of a supernova remnant reveals wonders, beauty, secrets of star structure and building blocks of life.
NSF Awards Graduate Research Fellowships to 23 UT Natural Sciences Students
Dozens of graduate and undergraduate students of UT Austin's College of Natural Sciences were honored this year by the National Science Foundation.