After nearly a decade of globetrotting research, a powerful astronomical instrument has returned home to The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory.

McDonald Observatory is accessible to the public Tuesday – Saturday 12-5 pm, and is closed on Sunday and Monday. All visitors must check in at the Frank N Bash Visitor Center. Check the calendar for available program passes, which are subject to capacity limits.

Important: McDonald Observatory, part of the University of Texas at Austin, is located 450 miles west of Austin and is on Central Time. Use the tools below to buy passes. The system defaults to one adult pass. If you don't need that pass, click the number field and select zero.

Programs and events take place at the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center in Fort Davis, Texas. Reservations are required for all programs and access to the McDonald Observatory site.

Group Reservations are available for 15 or more people. Astronomy Field Trips are available for school visits. Important: McDonald Observatory, part of the University of Texas at Austin, is located 450 miles west of Austin and is on Central Time. The reservation system defaults to one adult pass; please remove that pass if not needed.

McDonald Observatory is a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin and one of the world's leading centers for astronomical research, teaching, and public education and outreach.

Experience an up-close look at large research telescopes at McDonald Observatory. The program includes general admission to the Visitors Center and a guided tour of two of our research telescopes (approximately 90-120-minutes).

Dec 14, 2017 · The discovery of an eighth planet circling the distant star Kepler-90 by University of Texas at Austin astronomer Andrew Vanderburg and Google’s Christopher Shallue overturns our solar system’s status as having the highest number of known planets. We're now in a tie. The newly discovered Kepler-90i — a sizzling hot, rocky planet orbiting its star once every 14.4 days — was found using ...

At McDonald Observatory, we have several telescopes, built at various times since the Observatory's founding in the 1930s. Here is an introduction to the telescopes that McDonald Observatory astronomers use for their research:

Several days before First Quarter and 3 or 4 days past Full, bright moonlight limits our ability to see fainter stars and the Milky Way. You can check a calendar of Moon phases at StarDate Online to help you make your plans. For exact phase dates & times, go to the U.S. Naval Observatory's moon-phase page. Other timing factors to consider: