#13 McDonald Observatory

I think the highlight of my trip was visiting the McDonald Observatory . . . twice! There are a number of ways you can experience the observatory and I think I did them all.

Visit the Frank N. Bash Visitor Center where you can get a comprehensive overview of the observatory's history and what happens there.

Sign up for a guided tour. This will take about 90 minutes and you get an even more in depth history of the facility, how telescopes work, the different types of telescopes, and various partnerships the observatory has. You get to go up the mountains to see the original McDonald up close, as well as the building that houses the 107" telescope (both on Mt. Locke). The tour ends with a visit to the viewing gallery of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (Mt. Fowlkes). If this is all you can do, you won't be disappointed. Learning about the various telescopes and the history of astronomy was truly jaw-dropping and inspiring. When I think about the minds that have discovered these universes and galaxies and made the technology happen so this can all be studied, my mind is blown. Like it's almost incomprehensible. These tours don't fill up as quickly, but you will definitely want to make a reservation.

Where the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, one of the largest telescopes in the world, is housed.

Scaffolding for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope

The original McDonald Observatory

This is a radio telescope from NASA; it's only a couple of years old, I think.

Driving to the observatory for the evening programs I was witness to a beautiful sunset.

Mt. Locke in the distance where the 82" and 107" telescopes are housed.

The Evening Sky Viewing is dependent on the weather. In fact, I was scheduled for June 24, but it was cancelled because of the cloud cover. Luckily, they were able to move me to the next night. For this program, you are directed to the amphitheater where you are treated to a tour of the night sky, including Venus, Mars, and all sorts of constellations. The astronomer pointed out so many different constellations, sharing with us the origins and histories. To all my city friends, you need to try to do this. It's easy for us to forget how beautiful the night sky is when we live urban areas and don't really get to experience a clear sky.

The final program I signed up for is the Star Party. For this, we were seated on the patio of the visitor center which had a screen set up. But instead of a power point, the astronomer's projector was connected to the 16" telescope that another astronomer was navigating. We would learn about a particular galaxy, nebula, or star cluster, and then be treated to the viewing of it on the screen from the connected telescope. It was utterly fascinating and beautiful. Viewing what astronomers can see through telescopes, it is easy to see why people go into that field. The mystery and the beauty just capture the imagination and create all sorts of questions in your mind.

Seating is limited for these two evening programs, especially the Star Party. If you are interested, then I would suggest booking this and then building your trip around your visit to the observatory. Be sure to have an extra night in case your original is cancelled.

Please promise me that you will put the McDonald Observatory on your bucket list.  It's not something you can do just anywhere.  It truly is an amazing and unique experience.  And if you have kids, they deserve to have this experience.  Experiencing something like this as a child is what propels people into a field of study.  There is so much exploration left to do and exposing young people to these kind of experiences is so important.  Plus, it's just way cool!

Next up, exploring Fort Davis!