McDonald Observatory will celebrate the renowned dark skies of Far West Texas with its annual Dark Skies Festival, set for April 21-26. The event will feature special talks, behind-the-scenes tours, and Star Parties at locations across Fort Davis, Alpine, Marfa, and Terlingua.
The McDonald Observatory Visitors Center will offer free general admission throughout the festival from Tuesday to Saturday, 12-5 p.m. Visitors reserving general admission tickets online can use discount code DarkSky, while locals in the Dark Skies region can secure free Star Party passes with code Local25.
Festival Highlights
- April 22, 8 p.m. – Special Talk: Dark for the Park Alliance: Collaborating to Improve Lighting in the Permian Basin at McDonald Observatory. Speakers include Alexandra Fleming (Chevron USA) and Stephen Hummel (McDonald Observatory).
- April 22 & 25, 9:15 p.m. – Star Parties at McDonald Observatory.
- April 23, 9 p.m. – Terlingua Community Star Party at Far Flung Outdoor Center.
- April 24-25 – Behind-the-scenes tours of McDonald Observatory’s Hobby-Eberly Telescope.
- April 25 – Fort Davis Daytime Talks & Night Hike.
- April 26 – Daytime activities in Alpine and Star Parties at Kokernot Park in Alpine and McDonald Observatory.
More Information
📍 Location: McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas
📞 Phone: 432-426-3640
🌐 Website: mcdonaldobservatory.org
The Dark Skies Festival highlights the importance of preserving natural night skies in the region while offering visitors unique opportunities to explore astronomy and conservation efforts.
