Fact Sheets

About McDonald Observatory

McDonald Observatory, a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin, is one of the world's leading centers for astronomical research, teaching, and public education and outreach.

HETDEX: The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment

McDonald Observatory and its partners are preparing for a major experiment to define dark energy, that mysterious force that's causing the universe's expansion to speed up.

Architecture of the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center

The Frank N. Bash Visitors Center at McDonald Observatory takes its design cues from the early inhabitants of the southwest and their astronomical traditions.

About the Donors to the Visitors Center

The two large domes in the foreground house the 2.1-meter (82-inch) Otto Struve

McDonald Observatory Domes