McDonald Observatory
Higher EducationTexas, United States11-50 Employees
McDonald Observatory is a research unit of the University of Texas at Austin, within its College of Natural Sciences, located in Fort Davis, Texas. Perched atop Mount Locke and Mount Fowlkes in the Davis Mountains, the observatory pursues advanced astronomical research and contributes to teaching and public education. It is a founding partner in the Giant Magellan Telescope project in Chile, a major international effort in the next generation of extremely large telescopes. Each year about 75,000 visitors come to the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center for star parties, guided tours, and onsite exhibits. The observatory also offers educator programs and distance-learning resources for Texas teachers, and it shares astronomy with wider audiences through StarDate Radio and StarDate magazine. It engages in collaborations with external organizations to promote dark-sky preservation and public engagement, including partnerships with Dark Sky Texas and the National Park Service.