McDonald Observatory

McDonald Observatory sits atop Mount Locke at 6,791 feet in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, one of the darkest night-sky regions in the continental United States. Operated by the University of Texas at Austin, the observatory houses several major research telescopes including the Hobby-Eberly Telescope—one of the world's largest, with an 11-meter primary mirror—and the 2.7-meter Harlan J. Smith Telescope. The site's exceptional altitude, dry climate, and 195 or more clear nights per year make it one of North America's premier professional astronomical facilities.

For visitors, the observatory offers a range of programs at the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center, which is open daily. Daytime visitors can tour the facilities, observe the sun safely through filtered telescopes during solar viewing sessions, and explore exhibits on the cosmos. The Visitors Center includes a gift shop, restrooms, and short walking paths to viewing platforms with panoramic views across the Davis Mountains.

The observatory's signature visitor event is the Star Party, held Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings starting at sunset. Each Star Party begins with a presentation on current astronomical topics, continues with guided telescope viewing on the lawn as darkness falls, and culminates with access to a 36-inch telescope for eyepiece views of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and planets. On clear moonless nights the experience is extraordinary in one of the darkest publicly accessible skies in Texas. A special twilight program is offered for families with young children on Fridays.

The Davis Mountains surrounding the observatory form one of the most scenic drives in Texas—Texas Highway 118 through the high desert landscape is worth the drive in its own right. The nearby town of Fort Davis offers lodging and dining, approximately 20 minutes from the summit.