In celebration of International Dark Sky Week, join McDonald Observatory and community partners for events showcasing West Texas’s famous dark skies. Events will be held April 13-19 at McDonald Observatory and locations throughout Alpine, Fort Davis, Presidio, Terlingua, and others.
A group of astronomy undergraduate students from the University of Texas at Austin is invited to “test drive” the 107 inch Harlan J. Smith telescope at the McDonald Observatory. As Harlan J. Smith Scholars, the students are tasked with investigating a distant globular cluster and determining whether it may contain a black hole.
Join us for live views of several celestial objects from the dark skies at McDonald Observatory! In celebration of the upcoming International Dark Sky Week and the Big Bend's own Dark Skies Festival, your hosts Saul Rivera and Stephen Hummel will be viewing some objects that can be appreciated under dark skies while discussing the impact of artificial light. Enjoy live views from a camera attached to a research-grade 16-inch telescope at the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center (weather permitting).
Astronomers with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX), have used data from the project to make the largest, most accurate 3D map yet of the light emitted by excited hydrogen in the early universe, 9 billion to 11 billion years ago. The map brings into view previously hidden faint galaxies and gas, adding shape and nuance to this formative era in our universe.
As our Frank N. Bash Visitors Center enters its third decade in service, we’ve started an extensive renovation of its public spaces. You are invited to be part of this transformative project by contributing to its funding. All gifts are currently being matched by sponsors!
