MCDONALD OBSERVATORY

McDonald's Observatory is the spearhead of the research units at the University of Texas (Austin), and is one of the world's leading centres for astronomical research, teaching, education and popularization of astronomy. Its American facilities are located at the top of Locke and Fowlkes Mountains, in the Davis Mountains of western Texas, at an altitude of 2,000 m. The skies are particularly pure and often clear. In addition to the telescopes located in the United States, the observatory is a partner in the future giant Magellan telescope under construction in Chile. Its administrative offices are located on the campus of the University of Austin. In the mountains, it can boast of having some of the largest telescopes in the world! Starting with the recent Hobby-Eberly telescope, 9.2 m in diameter (completed in 1997), which specializes in studying the light emitted by stars and distant galaxies. The Harlan J. Smith telescope, on the other hand, dates from 1966-1968, and has a 2.7 m mirror that made it the third largest telescope in the world at the time. Finally, the 2.1 m Otto Struve telescope, much older (late 1930s), is historically the first large telescope to have been built on this site. It should be noted that these telescopes are still in use today. In addition to its scientific activities, the observatory is very active in popularizing astronomy with the public, with the organization of renowned Star Parties, spectacular guided tours of its infrastructure, daytime observations of the Sun, etc. A whole range of activities, therefore, that will satisfy everyone, including very experienced amateurs. The only precaution to take: you must register well in advance because many visitors are rushing to discover the area!