1939: Earth (near Fort Davis, Texas)
On May 5, McDonald Observatory was officially dedicated and began operation of the second-largest telescope in the world. “The 82-inch,” as it was known during its first 27 years of service, boasted a two-ton mirror of that diameter to capture some of the faintest, most distant light sources yet observed by humans.
The telescope offered our first glimpses of previously unseen moons orbiting Uranus and Neptune, and it confirmed the presence of carbon dioxide in Mars’s atmosphere, and methane in the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. In 1966, it was renamed in honor of Otto Struve, the Observatory’s first director.
Today, curious travelers can visit the Otto Struve telescope as well as its newer siblings, 1968’s 107-inch Harlan J. Smith telescope and 1997’s Hobby-Eberly telescope, whose array of 91 mirrors provides an astonishing 30 feet of light-gathering area.
The Frank N. Bash Visitors Center provides engaging and educational exhibits about our universe and the science of astronomy and hosts the Observatory’s justly renowned Star Parties multiple times each week. In summer, Star Parties are held Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9:45pm. Advance reservations are highly recommended.
The nearby community of Fort Davis offers its own fascinating history, which can be explored at the Fort Davis National Historic Site, Overland Trail Museum, Jeff Davis County Library and other locations throughout town. The picturesque downtown is lined with historic structures including the beautifully restored Jeff Davis County Courthouse and the Hotel Limpia.
Left Located 9 miles east of Marfa, the Marfa Mystery Lights Viewing Center | Adobe Stock Right The Marfa Mystery Lights Historic Marker, which notes “the lights reportedly change colors, move about, and change in intensity.” | Courtesy J. Griffis Smith
1883: Earth (near Marfa, Texas)
The first written record of the Marfa Lights indicates that while driving cattle through Paisano Pass between Alpine and Marfa, Robert Reed Ellison saw an unexpected light on the plateau grassland. Thinking it might be an Apache campfire, he informed his neighbors and was told that they frequently saw similar lights but had never found any evidence of fires in those locations.
Numerous investigations in years since have come up similarly empty-handed, and the Marfa Mystery Lights have taken their place in regional folklore.
But unlike most folklore, you can investigate this phenomenon yourself! The Marfa Mystery Lights Viewing Center is located nine miles east of Marfa on US 67. Its viewing platform offers pedestal binoculars, allowing the dedicated investigator to sweep the landscape for evidence of the lights’ true nature. Of course, the spot is also wonderful for enjoying the more distant lights of stars and planets!
The Marfa Mystery Lights are named for the (perhaps less, perhaps more mysterious) nearby town of Marfa. Well-known today as a destination for lovers of late Modern and contemporary art, Marfa has wide, stately avenues of elegant boutiques, galleries and dining spots. The classic Hotel Paisano, a 1930 Trost & Trost structure, stands in elegant counterpoint with the Hotel Saint George, whose luxurious 2016 building was designed by the Houston-based Carlos Jimenez Studio.
1576: Polaris
An unassuming proton, let’s call her Luz, left the surface of Polaris. Known to many Earth residents as the North Star, Polaris appears in our sky in the handle of the Little Dipper, also known as the constellation of Ursa Minor. Luz and many, many of her proton compatriots are arriving today! The light they provide gives our eyes an image of Polaris as it appeared during the Earth’s Renaissance period, the year that pioneering astronomer Tycho Brahe laid the cornerstone for his observatory in Denmark.
Meanwhile, another proton (we’ll call him Larry), is arriving from Yildun, “next door” to Polaris in Ursa Minor. Larry and his friends left Yildun in 1852, perhaps at the exact moment that Frederick Douglass took the stage in Rochester to deliver his devastating Fourth of July address.
Every one of the lights twinkling above us is a time machine. The light from our nearest neighboring star (Proxima Centauri) takes 4.24 years to reach us, while the most distant star that can be seen with the naked eye (V672 Cas) is giving us a show 16,000 years old.
But as our cities get brighter and brighter, these precious stars are harder and harder to see near the homes of the vast majority of people. So where can we go for the best experience of a big and beautiful night sky?
Consider the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, the result of years of effort by McDonald Observatory and the many partners they have recruited. This Dark Sky Reserve is the world’s largest area of protected night sky, and the only one crossing a border between nations. While light pollution is increasing as much as 10% each year nationwide, efforts in the Big Bend Reserve have paid off with an overall 20% reduction in artificial light since 2020.
Night sky protections come in the form of ordinances by local governments defining the current best practices for night-sky friendly lighting and requiring their use. Another large part of the Reserve’s activity is educational. McDonald Observatory has instituted a program recognizing model lighting installations as Night Sky Friendly. The Alpine Visitor Center received this recognition in 2023 by installing outdoor lighting that exemplifies the program’s four concepts:
- Shielding that directs light downwards, not into the sky or into the eyes of a bystander.
- Warm color temperature (2700K or lower) which scatters less into the surrounding air than white or blue lights, causing less glare and less night shine.
- Low to moderate intensity, providing good visibility with less eye strain and lower energy costs.
- Appropriate timing, providing light only when it is needed for its purpose.
- Following these guidelines can help all of us time travel with ease when we look up to take in all the history twinkling above us.
The towns of Alpine, Fort Davis and Marfa are located within each of three major counties constituting the bulk of the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve. Many locations within or near these three friendly communities offer some of the darkest skies and brightest stars available on the continent.
