McDonald Observatory

Loved it!! Star party is a must! Solar viewing and guided tours during the day a must! Our guide was Abby and she was the best for all ages. So patient and smart! I learned so much! Excellent for families.

Amazing Star Party experience. Rachael was our host. Her presentation was mixed with knowledge and humor. She truly is a star Jedi. We had clear skies and were able to see four different stars through the telescopes. I recommend you dress warm and bring a blanket. You are on too of a mountain and it can get cold and windy. Highly recommend.

A special experience awaits you at one of the McDonald Observatory Star Parties. When planning my trip out here, the observatory was a must-visit. All my life I've been reading about it and i wasn't going to miss it. You must make reservations to look through the telescopes. Refer to the website.Fortunately, I snagged a reservation and now all I had to do was hope the skies were clear on my nite out. Lucky me. After a few days of partly cloudy, the skies mostly cleared up and I headed up to the observatory. They time the star parties as they call them, to coordinate with sunset. Located in the Davis mountains, this is the highest point in Texas! A first for this Texan who has lived here all his life. A staff memeber\researcher\Post Grad student begins the presentation just before sunset. Guests which number about 200, gather in a beautiful stone bench amphitheater under the Big Texas sky.Relating the history of star gazing in the area, pointing out constellations and planets, it was infinitely more interesting than i had imagined it would be.The presenter had a giant hand-held green laser about the size of a large flashlight. He used this to point out things in the sky, which was amazing.After about 45 minutes the guest are released to gather and look through 6 different telescopes of different magnifications. Even the smallest is probably larger than most will ever look thru.Fortunately, two of the dome-housed big telescopes were used allowing us to see nebula and constellations with incredible clarity. it was more than chilly and cold as the night wore on but a beautiful experience. If heading this way be sure and make time to visit the University Of Texas McDonald Observatory.A Big Huge Definite...G0!!!!

We had the best time at last night's star party! Even though the sky told us early on that the clouds were going to get in our way, the McDonald Observatory team had a plan. We were offered a refund if we wanted to cancel but we went anyway for their "cloudy night" agenda. We learned so much during the theatre programming they planned for us and it just so worked out that they were able to get us out to view! The team watched for every moment to get a great view and set up telescopes for us. We saw andromeda, Sirius, Orion's nebula, mars, Jupiter, the seven sisters, and double clusters - all on a cloudy night. The entire team was so eager to please! They are clearly super passionate about sharing their precious dark skies with us all! I can't remember everyone's name but they were all exceptional. Rachel was our guide and James was so eager to aim the telescope on any star or planet we could think of. Definitely go! It was stellar :)

I usually don't like to leave a bad review, but we came for the star party, and had bought our tickets weeks prior. Upon arriving and entering, before even hello or welcome, the blonde woman checking folks in was bluntly rude, "hello unfortunately we don't allow pets" when indeed my dog is a service animal and when i told her she got attitude "well then i got some questions for you" and i answered them politely and she gave attitude, as the woman next to her on the laptop checking us in was very welcoming. Very rude woman. The gift shop prices were a bit over priced, and although we weren't able to go into observatory's or see anything because of the weather, we gave two stars because they did allow us to get a refund. Not much variety for drinks or any snacks. Everything they speak or talk about is available online - so if there is a star party that's not allowing viewing but indoor movie and talking it isn't worth it. The outside crew working were very nice and friendly and all loved my service animal. My service animal was more behaved than any of the children in attendance who were bored, impatient and lack of interest in the event.

I have to admit that I'm not a big astronomy fan. It's cool but just not really into it. We scheduled the solar tour which was at 1 pm which is 45 minutes. By the time we tried to book the star party it was full so yes you must plan ahead. It was a great presentation about the sun. I learned a lot but my husband knew most of the info. I naively assumed we would get to look through a telescope which was not the case. She live streamed it. Although my husband was not surprised. But great facilities, friendly staff, nice gift shop, and self tour. You can totally geek out or just do a quick tour like I did. The drive was so gorgeous. Who knew we had such pretty mountains in Texas? And now I can say I've been there! Bucket list.

McDonald Observatory was incredible! If you can go for a star party, do it as you get to learn about constellations and look through some of the smaller telescopes and a few in the domed observatories with their dark skies! So many stars on this clear night! I then went the next day to do a tour of the 107-inch telescope which was so cool to see. I geeked out a little here. There aren't a whole lot of observatories open to the public so McDonald tours fill up quickly from people from all over the world. It was a highlight of my trip.

Make sure to plan in advance because reservations fill up fast. And if they are full, don't be disheartened - add your name to the waitlist and stay optimistic.That's how we finally got tickets to the evening sky viewing and just a couple of days before we were going to be there, we finally snagged two spots for the star party! The two experiences are different and complementary, so if you can stay late, definitely book both!The host was humorous, engaging and informative. It was really cool to spot constellations and learn so much about the night sky. The star party actually throws up some real-time telescope images, which was also such a special experience! Oh, it does get really cold up the mountain, and the entire programming is outdoors of course, so be prepared! If you have a pair of binoculars, bring it.

Worth the trip. Far out and beautiful. The Star Party was amazing. Clear sky initiative in use to showcase constellations and nature's beauty. Museum is fun and educational. Must see!

Visiting the McDonald Observatory was a game changer for me. While you can't have a Happy Meal here, you will experience something much more satisfying. First, make sure you order your tickets online well in advance as spots get reserved quick (especially during COVID times with reduced capacity). I didn't know this and waited too long to find out that they were sold out. I tried again later and luckily two spots opened up!You can come during the day and at night but I highly recommend coming at night. We had a late showing and it is an experience getting to the Observatory as it's located on Mount Davis. That means winding roads and the possibilities of coming across deer, jackrabbits, and javelina on the road (especially on the return trip). After we made it safely and parked, it was so dark that you could barely see in front of you. This is what it's all about folks! You're here to see the stars and you will see them here in a way you never have before.After checking in, once your time arrives, you walk down a path outside to the outdoor planetarium. Make sure to bring the proper clothes as you'll be outside for a good hour! The path leading to the planetarium is dimly lit with blue lights. It feels like you're in an alien settlement---very cool! From there, your guide provides the group with an educational and entertaining presentation. Using a high-powered laser pointer, he will point out famous stars, constellations, planets, and anything else that is visible of note. It's an hour of learning but also entertainment as our guide did a great job of sharing interesting facts and keeping things engaging. Fort Davis is known as one of the best places in the country to view the stars. When you combine the high elevation, the lack of light pollution (e.g. man-made light), and the sparse population, it's a recipe for success. I kind of compare it to someone who has poor vision seeing a supermodel. He won't be able to appreciate her beauty due to his poor vision. That's basically how we see the stars in major cities. You can't appreciate the true beauty of the sky in large metropolitan areas. McDonald Observatory changed all of that for me. I have never seen the night sky as I saw it here! There are so many stars and the night sky lights up. It was a sight to behold.