McDonald Observatory

McDonald Observatory rises above the Davis Mountains of West Texas on Mount Locke, a dark-sky research site run by The University of Texas at Austin near the town of Fort Davis.

About McDonald Observatory

The observatory was founded in 1933 through an endowment from Texas banker William Johnson McDonald (1844–1926) and is operated today as part of the University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences. It sits at an elevation of 2,077 metres, giving it some of the clearest, darkest skies of any major American observatory.

History

Its first telescope was installed in 1939, and at the time it ranked as the second-largest telescope in the world. The Otto Struve Telescope, an 82-inch instrument, was dedicated on May 5, 1939, and the site later added the 107-inch Harlan J. Smith Telescope as the programme grew.

Telescopes & research

Beyond the main summit, McDonald operates additional facilities on nearby Mount Fowlkes, about 1.3 km to the northeast. The observatory is also known well beyond the astronomy community for producing StarDate, a daily syndicated radio program carried by roughly 400 NPR and commercial radio affiliates.

Location & getting there

McDonald Observatory is located near Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, on Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains — one of the most remote, light-pollution-free regions in the continental United States.

Visiting McDonald Observatory

The site is open to the public with visitor programs, though schedules and star party dates change seasonally. Check the official McDonald Observatory website for current opening hours and tickets before travelling.

See your named star from here

With telescopes capable of being pointed at any coordinates in the sky, staff at McDonald Observatory can locate a named star using its right ascension and declination from the star catalogue, making a visit here a memorable way to see it for yourself.