In addition to the little star party at our RV park, we also attended a larger star party at McDonald Observatory in the mountains north of Fort Davis, Texas.

It was a little cloudy, and the moon was about halfway, neither of which made for ideal viewing, but it was fine for viewing bright objects like the moon and planets.

The evening started with an introduction and constellation tour in an outdoor amphitheater:

Then everyone lined up to view selected targets via some telescopes, including the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn:

We then headed to the visitor center, and looked at their exhibits:

And of course the gift store (though shockingly didn’t buy anything):

Back outside:

A different experience than the campground star party; not as personal, more waiting, but more clear views through the telescopes. I’m glad we did both.