McDonald Observatory

McDonald Observatory is an astronomical research station of the University of Texas on Mount Locke and Mount Fowlkes in the Davis Mountains near Fort Davis in West Texas. Lonely Planet points to some of the darkest night skies in North America. The facility grew out of a 1926 bequest from William Johnson McDonald. Its telescopes include the 2.7-meter telescope, dedicated in 1968 and later renamed for Harlan J. Smith, and the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (1997), with the light-gathering power of a 9.2-meter mirror.

The Star Parties are popular; according to Lonely Planet they run on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings: about two hours with a guided tour of the constellations and 90 minutes of observing through telescopes at Rebecca Gale Telescope Park. The large research telescopes do not offer a view through an eyepiece.

Check dates and reservations beforehand; Lonely Planet advises booking at least two weeks ahead. Bring layers and a blanket, as the site is about 10 degrees cooler than the base of the mountains, plus a red-light flashlight instead of white light. A full moon washes out stars and the Milky Way; fall usually has the clearest skies, while July and August are the rainiest.