McDonald Observatory Scores Coup
Category: Tech...
Posted Tuesday, April 20, 2004 at 06:31 PM [GMT-6]

This is mucho cool:

Astronomers have witnessed a giant cometlike body end its life in a kamikaze plunge into a fiery young star more than 3,200 light-years away.

Using the 9.2-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas, a team of astronomers from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) kept watch over an infant star only 100,000 years old, searching for the telltale signs of any cometary activity.

Congrats to the eggheads at McDonald's Observatory, one of my favorite places to visit in the Davis Mountains.

[Hey, Robert...you're falling down on the job! I went to your blog first to see what you had to say about this. ;-)]

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Comments

I like the background colour better than the light pink ;) to be totally off topic

Posted by: Rachel at April 20, 2004 07:28 PM

Rachel, you can comment off-topic anytime you like! ;-)

But...when did I have a light pink color on the Gazette? If I did, it was unintentional...and more likely due to the differences in monitors than an actual color choice.

Posted by: Eric at April 20, 2004 07:37 PM

I noticed those bright lads at the McDonald observatory were awfully quiet about the unfortunate tragedy that befell their senior researcher.

Posted by: Mr. Freen at April 20, 2004 11:26 PM

It was a light pink sat i think. Glad to hear it was unintentional!!!lol

Posted by: Rachel at April 21, 2004 04:42 AM

Mr. Freen, you're very right...I completely missed this tragic turn of events at the Observatory. I understand that the poor fellow was despondent over his colleagues refusal to accept his recommendation that their newly discovered star be named "Big Mac." It was a professional setback from which he never recovered.

Great photo! ;-)

Posted by: Eric at April 21, 2004 06:42 AM
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