McDonald Observatory
The observatory from the southeast. The Hobby–Eberly Telescope on Mt. Fowlkes (left) and the Harlan J. Smith and Otto Struve Telescopes on Mt. Locke (right). | |
| Alternative names | 711 MC |
|---|---|
| Named after | William Johnson McDonald |
| Organization | |
| Observatory code | 711 |
| Location | Jeff Davis County, Texas |
| Coordinates | 30°40′17″N 104°01′19″W / 30.6714°N 104.022°W |
| Altitude | 2,077 m (6,814 ft) |
| Established | 1933 |
| Website | mcdonaldobservatory |
| Telescopes |
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| Related media on Commons | |
McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near 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 1.3 kilometers (0.81 mi) to the northeast. The observatory is part of The University of Texas at Austin. It is an organized research unit of the College of Natural Sciences.
The observatory produces StarDate, a daily syndicated radio program consisting of short segments related to astronomy that airs on both National Public Radio and commercial radio stations — about 400 affiliates in all.