News: Research

McDonald Observatory

Early Dark Energy Could Resolve Cosmology’s Two Biggest Puzzles

Michael Boylan-Kolchin and others show “early dark energy” might help solve the Hubble Tension and explain why there are more early galaxies than expected.

Views of the early universe from a computer model

Research

Improved Method for Estimating the Hubble Constant with Gravitational Waves

There’s a big debate in cosmology about how fast the universe is currently expanding.

A cosmic pairing is bifurcated by a dynamic force shown in light as gases swirl about.

The Texas Scientist

James Webb Space Telescope Surfaces New Cosmic Questions

A new telescope takes us back to when the cosmic lights went on.

Wisps of colorful gas and dust in a telescope image showing the remains of a supernova explosion

The Texas Scientist

A Quantum Test

Steven Weinberg of The University of Texas at Austin envisioned an experiment to poke holes in quantum mechanics.

A circle with an atom lies in the background wiht points labeled a, b an c along different squiggly trajectories in the foreground

Research

James Webb Telescope Catches Glimpse of Possible First-Ever ‘Dark Stars’

Stars powered with dark matter still need proving but could reveal clues about the nature of one of the universe’s great mysteries.

Three blurry red dots stand out in the blackness of space

Research

Scientists use Exotic Stars to Tune into Hum from Cosmic Symphony

A team of astrophysicists has found evidence for gravitational waves that oscillate with periods of years to decades.

An illustration depicts colliding black holes causing waves in spacetime

Research

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.

Six candidate galaxies

Research

Cosmic Dawn III Recreates the Early Universe Epoch of Reionization in Unprecedented Detail

Scientists create the most detailed and accurate simulation ever produced of the first billion years of the universe.

Hot spots appear prominent on a mass of lines that interconnect as in a network

The Texas Scientist

Supernovae in the Sky

Gravitational wave astronomy started with a bang back in 2015, and 90 such events have swelled into a cosmic chorus since then.

A multi-colored and misformed oval-shaped ball of gas in a starry sky

Research

Cosmic Rumbles: New Faculty Probe Universe for Gravitational Waves

A couple who joined the Department of Physics in 2020, Pablo Laguna and Deirdre Shoemaker, study violent events in the universe, like when cosmic heavyweights collide.

Portrait of a man and woman