McDonald Observatory conducts research for the University of Texas at Austin Astronomy Program. ©Walter Bibikow/Getty Images History of McDonald Observatory Visitors to the observatory can view the 430 inch Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The Star Parties also book up at least two weeks in advance. Star Parties are typically thrown on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights. It is closed to the public on Sunday and Monday. The Observatory is 450 miles west of Austin and 520 miles southwest of Dallas. The general admission ticket also allows access to the visitor center exhibit gallery and gift shop. Visitors who are not up for a tour or talk can simply purchase a general admission ticket, which includes a self-guided tour of the summits of Mount Locke and Mount Fowlkes. Filtered telescopes in the visitor center allow daytime visitors to view the sun safely during solar viewing programs. Guided tours to the research telescopes are offered several times per week. Home to several of the largest telescopes in the world, the Observatory is also a popular daytime destination. Telescopes are available for sky viewing after the talk. During the two-hour Star Parties staff members point out and discuss prominent stars and constellations. For visitors, this means that stars, planets, constellations and meteors can be observed at night in their full sparkling glory, undiminished by artificial light from cities and suburbs. Located on Mount Locke and Mount Fowlkes in the remote Davis Mountains, the Observatory and its telescopes enjoy some of the darkest skies in the continental United States. Visit to learn more.The hottest ticket in West Texas? A reservation for one of the thrice-weekly Star Parties at McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis. Weather permitting, guided star parties are held weekly in the Rebecca Gale Telescope Park, which now features, among a wide variety of 8-24 in telescopes, the Wren-Marcario Accessible Telescope ( WMAT) with wheelchair access, available to all guests. Approximately 60,000 visitors per year attend star parties and exhibits, and continuing education programs for teachers. McDonald Observatory welcomes the public at the Frank N. The McDonald Observatory and The University of Texas at Austin are involved with building what will be the world's largest telescope, the Giant Magellan Telescope. one of four globallly networked Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment ( ROTSE) telescopes.įor four decades, the observatory operated among the first and most productive lunar ranging stations, which set the foundation for a new era of geodetic science on-site through the McDonald Geodetic Observatory.a 0.51 m telescope dedicated to optical aeronomy, and.one of two robotically controlled 1.2 m MOnitoring NEtwork of Telescopes ( MONET).a 1 m node of the globally networked Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope ( LCOGT).The observatory offers a wide range of state-of-the-art instrumentation for imaging and spectroscopy in the optical and infrared, available to the research community. McDonald Observatory is located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, 450 miles west of its research and administrative home at The University of Texas at Austin, under some of the darkest skies in the continental United States.
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