June 2024 - Mcdonald Observatory Star Party

Come explore the McDonald observatory with us at 9:30pm on Thursday June 13th! 

You must buy your tickets directly through the observatory. CLICK HERE (opens in new window)

Please check out with this listing to register with us! 1 quantity = 1 person

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Gift Shop Access During the Star Party: The Visitors Center, exhibit hall, gift shop, and restrooms remain open throughout the Star Party. *The Observatory reserves the right to ask visitors to leave the program venue if their behavior becomes disruptive. Programs may be cancelled at any time due to weather or public health concerns.

Evening programs take place mostly outdoors.

What happens at a CLOUDY Star Party We will take every reasonable opportunity to do telescope viewing with guests. In the event that weather is likely to prevent views of the night sky, Visitors Center reservations staff will contact (via text and email) program participants to explain available options. When conditions don't allow for telescope viewing, we offer various unique, live indoor talks and demonstrations. The exact program content will be determined on the night of the program, depending on available staffing, crowd size, weather conditions and other factors.

Cloudy Star Party Program Options:

Virtual Sky Tour: Our most popular cloudy night program highlights the targets we typically view through telescopes at the Star Party. Your host will show you amazing images from ground- and space-based telescopes, share the scientific significance of these objects and answer your questions about them.

Spectroscopy Demonstration: This hands-on demonstration allows you to try deciphering the information encoded in starlight. Astronomers use the technique of spectroscopy to learn about the physical properties of stars, their motions, and more. Participants will use diffraction gratings to analyze various light sources and learn how astronomers decode the secrets of starlight.

Dome Tours: Although viewing through the telescopes may not be possible, there’s nothing stopping us from looking at them! We’ll turn on the lights and open the domes of our largest Star Party telescopes to allow you to get up close to them. Experienced guides will show you how the telescopes work and answer all of your telescope questions. This option is not available if heavy rain or nearby lightning is detected.

Exoplanets: Learn about the many worlds beyond our solar system! How did we find them? What are they like? Could there be life on these planets? This classroom presentation features the latest research on planets orbiting stars other than the sun. Astronomy

Ask Me Anything: Got a burning astronomy question? Odds are we’ve got an answer! This pop-up lab features a brave staff member who will take any and all of your astronomy-related questions.