McDonald Observatory-LCO ELP

McDonald Observatory-LCO ELP is a robotic telescope site on Mount Fowlkes in West Texas, part of the wider McDonald Observatory complex run by The University of Texas at Austin.

About McDonald Observatory-LCO ELP

The site is home to telescopes operated by Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO), a global network of robotic telescopes. ELP is the airport code used to identify this McDonald Observatory location within the LCO network. The first Las Cumbres 1-metre telescope was deployed here in April 2012, a second 1-metre telescope was added in October 2019, and the site also includes a 0.4-metre telescope.

Telescopes & research

These robotic instruments support both professional research and educational outreach, including programs aimed at K-12 schools, allowing classrooms to make real observations remotely.

Location & getting there

The site sits on Mount Fowlkes, part of the McDonald Observatory complex near Fort Davis in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.

Visiting

As a robotic facility, this site is not generally set up for in-person tours in the way the main McDonald Observatory visitor centre is. Check the official McDonald Observatory or Las Cumbres Observatory websites for the latest access information before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Because Las Cumbres Observatory's telescopes operate remotely by pointing at requested coordinates, a named star's exact position from the star catalogue could, in principle, be captured by exactly this kind of robotic network.