McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, with additional facilities on Mount Fowlkes, approximately to the northeast. and at that time was the second largest telescope in the world. McDonald Observatory was operated under contract by The University of Chicago until the 1960s, when control was transferred to The University of Texas at Austin under the direction of Harlan J. Smith.

Research today at the McDonald Observatory encompasses a wide variety of topics and projects, including the search for and understanding of planetary systems, stars and stellar spectroscopy, the interstellar medium, extragalactic astronomy, and theoretical astronomy. The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment, or HETDEX, is a multi-year undertaking to decode the nature of dark energy.

  • David L. Lambert (2003–2014)
  • Taft E. Armandroff (2014–present)

Observatory

thumb|right|Dome of the 10 m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. It houses one of the [[List of largest optical reflecting telescopes|largest optical telescopes in the world.]]

McDonald Observatory is equipped with a wide range of instrumentation for imaging and spectroscopy in the optical and infrared spectra, and operates the first lunar laser ranging station. It works closely with the astronomy department of The University of Texas at Austin while maintaining administrative autonomy. The high and dry peaks of the Davis Mountains make for some of the darkest and clearest night skies in the region and provide excellent conditions for astronomical research.

thumb|Electric motors and position sensors at the Otto Struve Telescope at the McDonald Observatory, Texas

The Otto Struve Telescope, dedicated in 1939, was the first large telescope built at the observatory.

Climate

The observatory experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cool, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.

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Visiting

thumb|Inside the dome of the Harlan J. Smith telescope during a guided tour

The , located between Mt. Locke and Mt. Fowlkes, includes a gift shop and interactive exhibit hall. The Visitors Center conducts daily live solar viewings in a large theater and tours of the observatory's largest telescopes. It also hosts evening star parties, every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday evening which allow visitors to look through numerous telescopes of various sizes in the Rebecca Gale Telescope Park.

  • McDonald Observatory public site
  • McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin
  • StarDate and Universo
  • McDonald Observatory Clear Sky Chart – forecasts of observing conditions
  • 1939 Film of the dedication ceremony for McDonald Observatory