McDonald Observatory

Astronomers and community organizers have been pushing officials in Far West Texas to adopt stricter rules on outdoor lighting, part of a broader effort…

Officials with McDonald Observatory are working to make Far West Texas and parts of Northern Mexico an International Dark Sky Reserve. They hope the special designation will help preserve the region’s dark skies and support ongoing research at the observatory.

After closing for nearly five months out of precaution over the coronavirus, the McDonald Observatory is now set to reopen “in a limited fashion."

Bill WrenDiana Nguyen speaks to Bill Wren of McDonald Observatory, whose job is to keep the skies of Far West Texas dark. They discuss Wren’s…

By Sally BeauvaisDeana Haggag -- who visited Marfa from Chicago with a group of friends late last year -- has almost always lived in big cities. And the…

On tonight’s West Texas Talk, we speak with journalist Jennifer Hiller, who writes about oil and gas for the San Antonio Express-News. Hiller started on…

Here in West Texas, there are two major searches ongoing. While companies in the Permian Basin seek more deposits of oil and gas underground, astronomers…

Pete Szilagyi speaks to McDonald Observatory director Dr. Taft Armandroff, who is helping plan and fund a new observatory on a Chile mountaintop. To be…

When McDonald Observatory first opened its doors in 1933 it was done with a nearly million dollar donation from a Paris, Texas banker. In his will,…

Enthusiasm at the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis is running high with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope back on line with world-class instrumentation and a…