Who We Are
McDonald Observatory was founded in 1939 under the dark night skies of the Davis Mountains in West Texas. As a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin, we are one of the world’s top-ranked research observatories, with strong capabilities in observations, instrument design, and undergraduate and graduate education.
The Observatory is also a world leader in public education and outreach with our Frank N. Bash Visitors Center hosting over 80,000 visitors each year and providing programs for the public and K-12 audiences. Additionally, McDonald Observatory produces the longest running science show in the nation, StarDate radio, which reaches millions each week on over 300 radio stations across the country.
What We're Fundraising For
In a typical year, hundreds of students visit the Observatory for in person experiences and even more connect with our education staff through virtual class visits. We train thousands of teachers from Texas and beyond through hands-on workshops, which include the opportunity to meet and work with professional astronomers as they conduct their research.
Your 40 for Forty gift supports our Visitors Center staff and the Education and Outreach team. With your help, we create and deliver astronomy programs that align with standards-based learning, as well as encourage students of all ages to make scientific inquiry a lifelong pursuit.
Your 40 for Forty gift helps make all this possible, bringing the majesty of the night sky to children, teachers, and stargazers of all ages both in West Texas and across the nation!
Your Impact
Your gift directly supports our education and public outreach programs. These funds can be used to purchase materials or subsidize registration for our teacher workshops, replacing visual aids for our Astronomy Field Trip program, maintaining equipment used in our public star parties, or even help support deep sky livestream programs hosted on YouTube! Nothing sparks the imagination more than the mysteries of the night sky!
Here is what some parents had to say about visiting us over Spring Break in March 2022:
"Watching our kids see craters on the moon so clearly. They were very engaged about the moon and what they were able to see. It was a terrific event."
"I really appreciated the knowledge and enthusiasm of our guide. I also appreciate that when it came time for the Q&A, he prioritized questions from the kids in the audience!"
Thank you to everyone for another amazing campaign! Below are the challenge winners for the final hours of the campaign!
Time for Another Surprise Challenge
1st Place: WINNER UT Men's Ultimate Club
2nd Place: WINNER The University of Texas Weightlifting Team
3rd place: WINNER Texas Trap and Skeet
Hungry, Hungry Bevo Challenge
1st Place: WINNER UT Men's Ultimate Club
2nd Place: WINNER Texas Trap and Skeet
3rd place: WINNER The University of Texas Weightlifting Team
40 to the 40 Surprise Challenge
1st Place: WINNER Longhorn Racing
2nd Place: WINNER UT Men's Ultimate Club
Final Countdown Challenge
1st Place: WINNER Texas Trap and Skeet
2nd Place: WINNER The University of Texas Weightlifting Team
3rd place: WINNER Texas Women's Rugby
Longhorn Pride Social Media Challenge
1st Place: Longhorn Band Student Association $1,000 Prize
Runner-up: Women's Club Lacrosse $250 Prize
Procrastinator Gift WINNER Longhorn Racing $500 Award
6,000 Milestone WINNER UT Men's Ultimate Club
7,000 Milestone WINNER Longhorn Racing
8,000 Milestone WINNER Black Student Alliance
State & International Challenge Winners - Check your donor wall these have been awarded!
Leaderboard Challenge Winners - Check the challenges page wall for the final leaderboards. Prizes will be awarded soon!
Rank | Prize | Happy Horns Happy Hour Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 224 |
2 | $750 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 138 |
3 | $250 | McCombs School of Business | 20 |
4 | The School of Architecture | 9 | |
5 | University of Texas Libraries | 8 | |
6 | Forty Acres Scholars Program | 7 | |
7 | Moody College of Communication | 7 | |
8 | College of Liberal Arts | 7 | |
9 | School of Law | 7 | |
10 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 6 | |
11 | College of Natural Sciences | 6 | |
12 | Texas Exes | 6 | |
13 | UT Women's Club Soccer | 4 | |
14 | Dell Medical School | 4 | |
15 | Texas Athletics | 4 |
Rank | Prize | Early Bird Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 64 |
2 | $750 | UT Archery Club | 51 |
3 | $250 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 23 |
4 | First-Gen Equity | 12 | |
5 | Texas Women's Rugby | 6 | |
6 | College of Liberal Arts | 5 | |
7 | McCombs School of Business | 5 | |
8 | College of Education | 3 | |
9 | Men's Lacrosse Club | 2 | |
10 | UT iGEM Team | 2 | |
11 | Steve Hicks School of Social Work | 2 | |
12 | UT Outpost | 2 | |
13 | UT Dance Team | 2 | |
14 | Longhorn Wrestling | 2 | |
15 | Moody College of Communication | 2 |
Rank | Prize | Final Countdown Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $4,500 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 415 |
2 | $2,000 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 216 |
3 | $1,000 | Texas Women's Rugby | 60 |
4 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 53 | |
5 | Longhorn Racing | 45 | |
6 | UT Archery Club | 22 | |
7 | Pre-Health & Diversity Scholars | 15 | |
8 | McCombs School of Business | 13 | |
9 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 12 | |
10 | College of Natural Sciences | 10 | |
11 | Texas Exes | 9 | |
12 | IEEE Robotics and Automation Society | 9 | |
13 | School of Human Ecology | 8 | |
14 | Chapters & Networks | 7 | |
15 | Men's Lacrosse Club | 6 |
Rank | Department | Raised |
---|---|---|
1 | Canfield Business Honors Program | $5,003,275.00 |
2 | Center for Global Business | $2,500,000.00 |
3 | Dell Medical School | $2,486,929.69 |
4 | McCombs School of Business | $244,538.02 |
5 | Global Leadership & Social Impact | $163,660.00 |
6 | First-Gen Equity | $157,306.00 |
7 | LBJ School of Public Affairs | $80,610.44 |
8 | Jackson School of Geosciences | $77,801.00 |
9 | Forty Acres Scholars Program | $44,570.40 |
10 | The School of Architecture | $29,450.00 |
11 | Cockrell School of Engineering | $28,448.50 |
12 | Moody College of Communication | $22,641.00 |
13 | School of Law | $21,500.00 |
14 | The LaunchPad | $20,100.00 |
15 | Longhorn Racing | $19,743.69 |
Rank | Prize | It's a surprise! | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 97 |
2 | $750 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 77 |
3 | $250 | Texas Women's Rugby | 50 |
4 | Texas Blazers | 36 | |
5 | Longhorn Racing | 15 | |
6 | UT Archery Club | 11 | |
7 | College of Liberal Arts | 6 | |
8 | McCombs School of Business | 6 | |
9 | Texas Exes | 6 | |
10 | Moody College of Communication | 5 | |
11 | School of Nursing | 4 | |
12 | University of Texas Libraries | 3 | |
13 | College of Natural Sciences | 3 | |
14 | Department of Physics | 3 | |
15 | School of Law | 3 |
Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 124 |
2 | $750 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 90 |
3 | $250 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 81 |
4 | UT Archery Club | 30 | |
5 | Texas Women's Rugby | 30 | |
6 | McCombs School of Business | 12 | |
7 | Plan II Honors Program | 9 | |
8 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 8 | |
9 | Kendra Scott WEL Institute | 7 | |
10 | Texas Athletics | 6 | |
11 | Student Engineering Council | 6 | |
12 | Texas Exes | 5 | |
13 | Chapters & Networks | 5 | |
14 | Jackson School of Geosciences | 4 | |
15 | Men's Lacrosse Club | 4 |
Rank | Prize | Longhorn Lunch Special Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 123 |
2 | $750 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 122 |
3 | $250 | Texas Women's Rugby | 99 |
4 | Longhorn Racing | 65 | |
5 | Texas Orange Jackets | 25 | |
6 | McCombs School of Business | 12 | |
7 | Texas Exes | 12 | |
8 | VAV - Survivor's Emergency Fund | 11 | |
9 | Texas Blazers | 8 | |
10 | LGBTQ Studies | 7 | |
11 | Longhorn Powerlifting | 7 | |
12 | Multicultural Engagement Center | 7 | |
13 | The School of Architecture | 6 | |
14 | Texas Performing Arts | 5 | |
15 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 5 |
Rank | Prize | Midnight Madness Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $2,500 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 166 |
2 | $1,500 | UT Archery Club | 92 |
3 | $1,000 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 81 |
4 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 51 | |
5 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 4 | |
6 | Longhorn Racing | 4 | |
7 | College of Liberal Arts | 3 | |
8 | College of Fine Arts | 3 | |
9 | Longhorn Band Student Association | 2 | |
10 | Texas Exes | 2 | |
11 | First-Gen Equity | 2 | |
12 | Moody College of Communication | 2 | |
13 | McCombs School of Business | 2 | |
14 | School of Law | 2 | |
15 | Blanton Museum of Art | 1 |
Rank | Prize | Hungry, Hungry Bevo Challenge | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 179 |
2 | $750 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 128 |
3 | $250 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 75 |
4 | Texas Orange Jackets | 22 | |
5 | School of Law | 9 | |
6 | McCombs School of Business | 9 | |
7 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 8 | |
8 | College of Natural Sciences | 8 | |
9 | Jackson School of Geosciences | 7 | |
10 | College of Liberal Arts | 7 | |
11 | UT Dance Team | 7 | |
12 | UT Archery Club | 6 | |
13 | Moody College of Communication | 6 | |
14 | Women's Club Lacrosse | 5 | |
15 | Kendra Scott WEL Institute | 5 |
Rank | Department | Gifts |
---|---|---|
1 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 1,420 |
2 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 1,186 |
3 | Longhorn Racing | 830 |
4 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 546 |
5 | UT Archery Club | 437 |
6 | Texas Women's Rugby | 358 |
7 | McCombs School of Business | 317 |
8 | Chapters & Networks | 176 |
9 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 135 |
10 | Texas Exes | 128 |
11 | UT Dance Team | 109 |
12 | College of Liberal Arts | 87 |
13 | Moody College of Communication | 84 |
14 | College of Natural Sciences | 83 |
15 | Texas Orange Jackets | 75 |
Rank | Prize | Day 1 Leaderboard: Gifts | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,000 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 541 |
2 | $750 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 514 |
3 | $500 | UT Archery Club | 217 |
4 | $250 | Texas Women's Rugby | 172 |
5 | $100 | Chapters & Networks | 146 |
6 | McCombs School of Business | 114 | |
7 | Longhorn Racing | 108 | |
8 | Texas Exes | 78 | |
9 | UT Dance Team | 76 | |
10 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 55 | |
11 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 53 | |
12 | Texas Blazers | 49 | |
13 | Moody College of Communication | 47 | |
14 | College of Liberal Arts | 47 | |
15 | University of Texas Libraries | 40 |
Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,500 | Texas Trap and Skeet | 161 |
2 | $750 | UT Archery Club | 126 |
3 | $250 | UT Dance Team | 61 |
4 | The University of Texas Weightlifting Team | 42 | |
5 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 28 | |
6 | Texas Women's Rugby | 20 | |
7 | Omega Chi Epsilon | 14 | |
8 | Longhorn Racing | 12 | |
9 | McCombs School of Business | 11 | |
10 | Chapters & Networks | 6 | |
11 | Moody College of Communication | 6 | |
12 | Women in Informatics | 6 | |
13 | Dell Medical School | 5 | |
14 | Women's Club Lacrosse | 5 | |
15 | School of Law | 4 |
Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
---|---|---|---|
1 | $2,000 | Longhorn Racing | 576 |
2 | $500 | UT Men's Ultimate Club | 240 |
3 | Cockrell School of Engineering | 4 | |
4 | School of Human Ecology | 4 | |
5 | Center for Women in Law | 3 | |
6 | School of Law | 3 | |
7 | Women's Club Lacrosse | 3 | |
8 | LBJ School of Public Affairs | 3 | |
9 | Global Leadership & Social Impact | 3 | |
10 | Texas Ice Hockey | 2 | |
11 | Center for Students in Recovery | 2 | |
12 | Chapters & Networks | 2 | |
13 | Dell Medical School | 2 | |
14 | Longhorn Band | 2 | |
15 | Texas Exes | 2 |
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