Please plan accordingly. McDonald Observatory is located in the Chihuahuan Desert, and in the heart of the Davis Mountains at roughly 6,500 ft elevation. Altitude sickness and dehydration are not uncommon.
We expect at least one person to arrive a day prior to field work beginning. On the day of arrival this person will be expected to meet with Observatory staff to tour the possible field site locations, review safety plans, be issued a site radio, and to gain familiarity with our general operations. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the superintendent at least one week prior to arrival.
Field station site safety information [PENDING]
Weather
Our climate is temperate and dry with extreme UV indexes. From July to September, we experience our wet season which can see flash flooding, damaging winds, damaging hail, and extremely active lightning.
Wildlife
We are a 450-acre open range campus. We experience all variety of wildlife, many of which can be dangerous, including rattle snakes, scorpions, large wasps, javelina, feral hogs, coyotes, mountain lions, bob cats, foxes, and even bears.
Light Sensitivity
Our site is extremely light sensitive. Flashlights are needed to traverse the site at night. We expect flash-lights to be red filtered in most areas of the campus. Vehicle headlights, at night, should be kept to the minimum available brightness (sidelights or parking lights if possible). Outdoor work at night should be conducted under minimal lighting and if lighting (even flashlights) is required it will be restricted to locations with minimal impact on observatory operations. Blinds and window coverings in the Astronomers Lodge or other buildings are to be closed at sunset.
Not all light sensitivity issues relate to impact on our astronomical research it also a matter of our dark sky educational programming.
Public Access
McDonald Observatory welcomes roughly 80,000 visitors a year to our campus. Our Visitor Center is open Tuesday through Saturday every week 12 p.m.-5 p.m. and 8 p.m.-12 a.m. We are also an open public campus, with state roads running right the way to our major telescopes. Thus, the public can be encountered throughout our campus any time of day.
Our hiking trails, firebreaks, Astronomers Lodge area, and residential areas are not open to the public – though we still encounter them there on occasion.
Internet and Cell Access
Internet availability is limited to our campus buildings. Your team will be granted access to our Wi-Fi. Due to our topography, cell service is extremely limited and highly unreliable. Satellite-based communications are strictly prohibited due to operations of a 12-meter class radio telescope on our facility.
We lose internet connection roughly monthly.
Emergency Situations
We are at least 25 minutes from the nearest police or fire response and 45 minutes from the nearest medical facility.
Residents
The Observatory houses roughly 30 staff and their families in on campus housing. We have children and pets around all times of day. Field work will be expected to be carried out away from the residential area to limit disruption to our staff.