McDonald Observatory
@mcdonaldobs
Followers
7K
Following
4K
Media
839
Statuses
2K
Official account for McDonald Observatory, a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin, located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.
Fort Davis, Texas, USA
Joined April 2009
š£ The Board of Directors for the @giantmagellan Telescope has elected @mcdonaldobs Director Taft Armandroff as its new chair! Learn about this exciting leadership transition: https://t.co/is0snI64o1 [Taft Armandroff (left), Walter Massey (center) and Brian Schmidt (right)]
0
4
9
We hope your last day of classes is going smoothly, Longhorns. Sending everyone well-wishes as exams begin later this week! š¤ #WhatStartsHere
0
0
0
šļø We're thrilled to announce that @TexasStandard radio is including us in their celebration of 10 years on air! ā Next Friday, Dec 12th, Texas Standard radio will be LIVE from @mcdonaldobs!āØ š Find out more and TUNE IN! https://t.co/JKpN71ejBM
#publicradio š»
0
0
3
Manufacturing of theĀ Giant Magellan TelescopeĀ is progressing ā with exciting developments underway in adaptive optics and instrumentation. Explore the latest in our Milestones newsletter, featuring updates and behind-the-scenes insights from the scientists and engineers making
1
2
10
š Did you see the full Cold Moon? It was so beautiful & bright! š Next week the Moon will be in its last quarter, getting more faint as we prepare to admire the Geminid meteor shower, peaking Dec 13-14. [NASA/MSFC/Danielle Moser, NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office]
0
3
6
Dr. Walter Massey has guided the Giant Magellan Telescope through nearly a decade of groundbreaking leadership as Chair of the GMTO Corporation Board of Directors. Under his guidance, the consortium expanded globally, advanced key design and construction milestones, and secured
0
2
9
The yearās earliest sunsets come over the next couple of weeks, even though the shortest day of the year isnāt until December 21, the winter solstice. The date of earliest sunset happens first at southern latitudes, then works northward.
0
3
13
A spacecraft has been staring at the Sun for 30 years, and weāll tell you what itās seen. Weāll also talk about new ways to search for dark matter, some good news and bad news for radio astronomy, and much more. This week ā on StarDate! https://t.co/7pZQCF0ui6
0
4
8
š Wanna work with the stars?! Several employment opportunities have opened up with @mcdonaldobs, including Hobby-Eberly Telescope Resident Astronomer! š Current available positions: https://t.co/6od5RHaOg4
0
5
7
š¦ @UTAustin is closed this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. We hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend!
0
0
0
š Congrats to Prof Mike Boylan-Kolchin, @UTAstronomy at @UTAustin, named a Highly Cited Researcher for 2025 by @Clarivate! We're not surprised to see Mike on the list (AGAIN!), but we are thrilled! Check him out! š https://t.co/4J1s3sJoop
#HighlyCited2025
#WhatStartsHere
0
3
5
Kick off Thanksgiving week with @HEB Free Fourth Sunday, Nov. 23! š¦āØ Enjoy free admission for the whole family and make great memories as you explore Texasā unique natural history together. Open 1ā5 p.m. (last admission at 4:30 p.m.). https://t.co/UquKdjCcvs
0
4
7
The explosive death of a star at its earliest, fleeting stage has been revealed by the ESO & a group of astronomers ā including @UTAustinās J. Craig Wheeler. #Spectropolarimetry @AST309 @UTAstronomy More: https://t.co/0yYQtQSxfb Artist interpretation video courtesy of @ESO:
0
7
7
Sob nova direĆ§Ć£o š A @giantmagellan, organizaĆ§Ć£o internacional sem fins lucrativos responsĆ”vel pela construĆ§Ć£o do telescĆ³pio GMT, anuncia a transiĆ§Ć£o em sua lideranƧa no Conselho de Diretores!
1
3
3
As a founding partner, The University of Texas at Austin has been part of the Giant Magellan Telescopeās development since 2008. @UTAustin has led major advancements in the project ā including the design and construction of GMTNIRS, a high-resolution near-infrared spectrograph
0
9
17
Giant Magellan Telescope: Taft Armandroff and Brian Schmidt Elected to Lead Giant Magellan Telescope Board of Directors
giantmagellan.org
New leadership appointed to guide the next phase of construction as Dr. Walter Massey concludes nearly a decade of service as chair of the GMTO Corporation Board of Directors
0
7
21
Exciting news on the @giantmagellan front in recent weeks, with @MIT joining the project and our own @cosmicpinot being appointed vice-chair of the GMTO Board. Read more at https://t.co/iw3LHiU0lj
0
4
10
We celebrate our Founders ā the visionary institutions whose collaboration makes the Giant Magellan Telescope possible. This month, we proudly honor their leadership and partnership at our upcoming gala in Chicago, recognizing the global collaboration driving our continued
0
1
10
Itās official, our panel "Revolutionizing Astronomy with Next Generation Big Data" has been accepted to @sxsw 2026! Thank you to everyone who supported our work! @UTAustin @TACC @UVA @NOIRLabAstro
https://t.co/q9Pk7F2vGp
schedule.sxsw.com
Browse events, build your schedule, and get personalized recommendations for the 2026 SXSW Conference & Festivals from March 12ā18, 2026 in Austin, TX.
0
6
7
š A cosmic puzzle, upcoming meteor showers, and much more - Check out SkyTips for November! https://t.co/PdaMgKQqws
myemail.constantcontact.com
Email from McDonald Observatory SkyTips October 2025 ā ā ļ»æMcDonald Observatory SkyTips News from the Observatory and StarDate ā ā Now on StarDate Radio ļ»æļ»æSee what's on the air or get more information
0
0
2
š
The Giant Magellan Telescope Board of Directors has elected Dr. Taft Armandroff as chair and Dr. Brian Schmidt as vice chair ā guiding the observatory through its next phase of construction. We honor Dr. Walter Massey for nearly a decade of visionary leadership that helped shape
0
0
2