Our Mission
McDonald Observatory and the
Center for Advanced Studies in Astronomy
McDonald Observatory
The mission of McDonald Observatory is to advance humanity's understanding of the universe through research in astronomy, to facilitate graduate and undergraduate education in astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin, to contribute to the public understanding of science in Texas and the nation, and to use astronomy as a tool to help Texas teachers meet state standards and excite Texas schoolchildren about careers in a scientific and technical field.
Center for Advanced Studies in Astronomy
The mission of the Center for Advanced Studies in Astronomy is
To operate the Hobby-Eberly Telescope on behalf of the HET consortium comprising UT Austin, Penn State University, Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
To catalyze construction of astronomical telescopes and instrumentation for observational research
To advance humanity's understanding of the Universe through forefront observational research in astronomy
To promote public education in astronomy through professional publications, public programs, and educational media
