Embark on a Journey of Wonder

Perched atop the Davis Mountain of West Texas, under some of the darkest night skies in the continental United States, McDonald Observatory offers a rugged and beautiful gateway to the cosmos. Daytime tours provide front row access to big science that wows, while evening Star Parties showcase the depth and beauty of the night sky. Learn about breakthrough discoveries through our onsite exhibits, visit large scientific telescopes, and connect with the power and wonder of astronomy.

McDonald Observatory has worked to expand humanity’s knowledge of the universe since 1939. Fundamental to this mission is a commitment to providing education programs that excite and equip students and teachers to explore STEM concepts and careers. We serve as an educational training ground for K-12 students and teachers through classroom materials, field trips, and teacher professional development workshops. When schools can’t make the drive to us, our staff come to them via online distance learning, which is provided at no cost to participants.

A research facility of The University of Texas at Austin, McDonald Observatory is home to cutting-edge observational facilities and instruments. Among these are the Hobby-Eberly, Harlan J. Smith, and Otto Struve Telescopes, which astronomers use to understand faraway stars, the planets that orbit them, cosmic gas and dust, and the nature of dark energy. Over the years, we’ve contributed to the early identification of planets outside our solar system, measured the Moon’s distance from Earth, and helped prove Einstein’s theory of relativity.