K-12 Astronomy Program Student Field Experiences
Inspire your students with a field trip to McDonald Observatory
McDonald Observatory is located high in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, just west of the charming town of Ft. Davis. Astronomers from the University of Texas at Austin and around the world visit the Observatory to carry out their astronomical research and explore the universe. Through our Student Field Experience program students are immersed in this scienctific endeavor and participate in hands-on, inquiry-based activities that are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and National Science Education Standards.

Customize your observatory experience
Select from a variety of activities to create a program and schedule that matches your students’ needs. For example, select themed activities that allow time to explore a topic from several directions and to pull in interdisciplinary links. The hands-on activities with suggested grade levels are available on our web site at:

http://www.mcdonaldobservatory.org.

Arrange your visit with as many features (listed below) as you would like:

DECODING STARLIGHT (50 min.)
Explore the hands-on exhibit with an interactive guide for different grade levels.

TOUR THE OBSERVATORY (30-60 min.)
Visit the Harlan J. Smith and Hobby-Eberly Telescopes with a personal guide

DAYTIME OBSERVING (30-120 min.)
Sundials, solar cookers, and viewing the Sun safely with telescopes

EVENING OBSERVING (30-120 min.)
Unaided eye and telescope observing. Use a star map!

THEATER (30 min.)
Video presentations of astronomy topics and McDonald Observatory\

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE. (50 min.)
Explore a topic in depth in our classroom
Facilities

The McDonald Observatory Visitors Center features a full classroom, 90-seat theater, an astronomy park with tele-scopes, and the Decoding Starlight exhibit. On the Observatory tour, students will go inside the Harlan J. Smith 2.7-meter telescope dome or into the Hobby-Eberly Telescope viewing gallery. The combination of resources we offer ensures a memorable experience for students.

Contact information for reservations:
Marc Wetzel, Education Coordinator
(432) 426-3640, wetzel@astro.as.utexas.edu

Email questions to: info@mcdonaldobservatory.org