McDonald Observatory
Encyclopedia
The 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 Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains
of West Texas
. The site is campus property of the University of Texas at Austin
and receives its main funding from the university.
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. McDonald works closely with the astronomy
department of the University of Texas at Austin while maintaining administrative autonomy. The McDonald Observatory also produces and consults on StarDate, a daily syndicated radio astronomy segment hosted by Sandy Wood that airs on stations throughout the United States in both English
and Spanish
.
The Otto Struve Telescope
and the Harlan J. Smith Telescope
are located on Mount Locke at an altitude of 6,791 ft/2,070 m. The summit of Mount Locke is the highest point on Texas highways. The Hobby-Eberly Telescope
, dedicated in late 1997, is located on the summit of Mount Fowlkes at 6,659 ft/2,030 m above sea level. 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.
Currently, the observatory operates four research
telescopes at its West Texas site:
A 0.9 m (36") telescope, formerly used for research, is now used for visitor programs.
The Frank N. Bash Visitors Center includes a café, gift shop, and interactive exhibit hall. The Visitors Center also conducts daily live solar viewings in a large theater and tours of the observatory's largest telescopes. The most popular programs are the evening star parties
, which allow visitors to look through large telescopes in the Telescope Park and enjoy an indoor program as well.
Special viewing nights, during which visitors can stay onsite and view directly through eyepieces on the 0.9 m, 2.1 m or 2.7 m telescopes, are held on a reservation-only basis. Programs on the two larger telescopes also include dinner. Check the Visitors Center website for availability.
(1844–1926), who left $800,000(the bulk of his fortune) to the University of Texas to endow an astronomical observatory. The provision of the will was challenged by McDonald's relatives, and after a long legal fight, construction began at Mount Locke. The 2.1 m telescope was dedicated on May 5, 1939, 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.
The observatory now is home for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, operated jointly by the University of Texas at Austin, Pennsylvania State University
, Stanford University
, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
, and Georg-August University of Göttingen
. The HET now ranks as the fourth largest telescope in the world, its cost being about 20% that of other similarly-sized telescopes in use today.
Research today at the McDonald Observatory encompasses a wide variety of topics and projects, including planetary systems, stars and stellar spectroscopy, the interstellar medium, extragalactic astronomy, and theoretical astronomy.
The observatory also hosts one of the four globally networked Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment
(ROTSE) telescopes, and is one of the two Monitoring Network of Telescopes (MONET) sites (the other being at the South African Astronomical Observatory
in Sutherland
, with a telescope by Halfmann Teleskoptechnik
.
The observatory produces StarDate
, a syndicated radio program consisting of short segments related to astronomy that airs on many Public Radio affiliates.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of Fort Davis
Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis is a census-designated place in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,050 at the 2000 census and 1,041 according to a 2007 estimate. It is the county seat of Jeff Davis County...
in Jeff Davis County
Jeff Davis County, Texas
Jeff Davis County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is named for Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 2,207, and 2,258 by 2009...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains
Davis Mountains
The Davis Mountains are a range of mountains in West Texas, located near Fort Davis, after which they are named. They are a popular site for camping and hiking and the region includes Fort Davis National Historic Site and Davis Mountains State Park...
of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. The site is campus property of the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and receives its main funding from the university.
Observatory
The observatoryObservatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
is equipped with a wide range of instrumentation for imaging
Imaging
Imaging is the representation or reproduction of an object's outward form; especially a visual representation .- Imaging methodologies and technologies :...
and spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
in the optical and infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
spectra and operates the first lunar laser ranging station. McDonald works closely with the astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
department of the University of Texas at Austin while maintaining administrative autonomy. The McDonald Observatory also produces and consults on StarDate, a daily syndicated radio astronomy segment hosted by Sandy Wood that airs on stations throughout the United States in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
The Otto Struve Telescope
Otto Struve Telescope
The Otto Struve Telescope was the first major telescope to be built at McDonald Observatory. Located in the Davis Mountains in West Texas, the Otto Struve Telescope was designed by Warner & Swasey Company and constructed between 1933 and 1939 by the Paterson-Leitch Company. Its 2.1 meter mirror...
and the Harlan J. Smith Telescope
Harlan J. Smith Telescope
The Harlan J. Smith Telescope is a 2.7m telescope located at the McDonald Observatory, in Texas, in the United States. This telescope is one of several research telescopes that are part of the University of Texas at Austin observatory perched atop Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of west Texas...
are located on Mount Locke at an altitude of 6,791 ft/2,070 m. The summit of Mount Locke is the highest point on Texas highways. The Hobby-Eberly Telescope
Hobby-Eberly Telescope
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope is a 9.2-meter aperture telescope located at the McDonald Observatory. It combines a number of features that differentiate it from most telescope designs, resulting in greatly lowered construction costs...
, dedicated in late 1997, is located on the summit of Mount Fowlkes at 6,659 ft/2,030 m above sea level. 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.
Currently, the observatory operates four research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
telescopes at its West Texas site:
- 9.2 m (360") Hobby-Eberly TelescopeHobby-Eberly TelescopeThe Hobby-Eberly Telescope is a 9.2-meter aperture telescope located at the McDonald Observatory. It combines a number of features that differentiate it from most telescope designs, resulting in greatly lowered construction costs...
- 2.7 m (107") Harlan J. Smith TelescopeHarlan J. Smith TelescopeThe Harlan J. Smith Telescope is a 2.7m telescope located at the McDonald Observatory, in Texas, in the United States. This telescope is one of several research telescopes that are part of the University of Texas at Austin observatory perched atop Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of west Texas...
- 2.1 m (82") Otto Struve TelescopeOtto Struve TelescopeThe Otto Struve Telescope was the first major telescope to be built at McDonald Observatory. Located in the Davis Mountains in West Texas, the Otto Struve Telescope was designed by Warner & Swasey Company and constructed between 1933 and 1939 by the Paterson-Leitch Company. Its 2.1 meter mirror...
- 0.8 m (30") large format imaging telescopeTelescopeA telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
A 0.9 m (36") telescope, formerly used for research, is now used for visitor programs.
Visiting
Star party
A star party is a gathering of amateur astronomers for the purpose of observing the sky. Local star parties may be one night affairs, but larger events can last up to a week or longer and attract hundreds or even thousands of participants. Many regional star parties are now held annually and are an...
, which allow visitors to look through large telescopes in the Telescope Park and enjoy an indoor program as well.
Special viewing nights, during which visitors can stay onsite and view directly through eyepieces on the 0.9 m, 2.1 m or 2.7 m telescopes, are held on a reservation-only basis. Programs on the two larger telescopes also include dinner. Check the Visitors Center website for availability.
History
The McDonald Observatory was originally endowed by the Texas banker William Johnson McDonaldWilliam Johnson McDonald
William Johnson McDonald was a Paris, Texas...
(1844–1926), who left $800,000(the bulk of his fortune) to the University of Texas to endow an astronomical observatory. The provision of the will was challenged by McDonald's relatives, and after a long legal fight, construction began at Mount Locke. The 2.1 m telescope was dedicated on May 5, 1939, 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.
The observatory now is home for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, operated jointly by the University of Texas at Austin, Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich , commonly known as the University of Munich or LMU, is a university in Munich, Germany...
, and Georg-August University of Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
. The HET now ranks as the fourth largest telescope in the world, its cost being about 20% that of other similarly-sized telescopes in use today.
Research today at the McDonald Observatory encompasses a wide variety of topics and projects, including planetary systems, stars and stellar spectroscopy, the interstellar medium, extragalactic astronomy, and theoretical astronomy.
The observatory also hosts one of the four globally networked Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment
Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment
The Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment is an multi-telescope experiment designed to detect gamma-ray bursts. The experiment currently consists of four telescopes located in Australia, Namibia, Turkey, and at the McDonald observatory near Fort Davis, Texas.The ROTSE project is a...
(ROTSE) telescopes, and is one of the two Monitoring Network of Telescopes (MONET) sites (the other being at the South African Astronomical Observatory
South African Astronomical Observatory
South African Astronomical Observatory is the national center for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. It was established in 1972. The observatory is run by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The facility's function is to conduct research in astronomy and astrophysics...
in Sutherland
Sutherland, Northern Cape
- External links :* * *...
, with a telescope by Halfmann Teleskoptechnik
Halfmann Teleskoptechnik
Halfmann Teleskoptechnik is a German based manufacturer of professional robotic telescopes. Halfmann Telescopes have been delivered worldwide for several projects.-Origins and History:...
.
The observatory produces StarDate
StarDate (radio)
StarDate is a science radio program of the University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory.The show began in 1976 as a astronomy telephone message service established by science journalist Deborah Byrd. This evolved at Austin radio station KLBJ-FM into the daily radio program Have You Seen the...
, a syndicated radio program consisting of short segments related to astronomy that airs on many Public Radio affiliates.
External links
- McDonald Observatory
- SLR Global Performance Report Card
- Frank N. Bash Visitors Center
- McDonald Observatory Clear Sky Chart Forecasts of observing conditions.
- StarDate Online