McDonald Observatory

From the photographer: “The Gemini Twins Castor and Pollux are a beautiful sight over the dome of the 107″ (2.7 meter) Harlan J. Smith telescope located at McDonald Observatory. The McDonald Observatory complex is located in the Davis Mountains in West Texas. In 1968 the 107″ (2.7 meter) telescope was the third largest telescope in the world. This telescope was also used in the lunar laser ranging experiments during the Apollo Lunar landing years. McDonald Observatory is operated by the University of Texas located in Austin, Texas. The past thirty two years, the Texas Star Party has been held at a ranch about ten miles east of McDonald Observatory. The Observatory is a great place to visit and enjoy some of the
darkest skies in North America.”

Adrian New