Photographer: Kevin Stillman
Located within Brazos Bend State Park, the George Observatory
was built as a joint project of the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, The George Foundation, and the Houston Museum of
Natural Sciences. The Observatory, operated by volunteers from area
astronomy clubs, consists of three domed telescopes and includes a
36-inch Gueymard Research Telescope, one of the largest telescopes
in the nation open to the public on a regular basis. The Gueymard
Telescope is open to the public on Saturday evenings and is
available by reservation on Friday nights for groups of 30 or more.
Gift shop and interpretive center. For information call
979/553-5101, 409/553-3400.
The George Observatory at Brazos Bend State Park houses the
Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education and takes
participants on simulated space missions, complete with mission
control, and spacecraft simulator. The Challenger Learning Center
is a living memorial to the seven Challenger astronauts who lost
their lives in 1986. For information call 713/639-4629.