SPORTS + OUTDOORS

The George Observatory, located about one hour’s drive south of Houston in the attractive Brazos Bend State Park, is a satellite facility of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The Observatory houses a Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education, which takes participants on simulated space missions, complete with a mission control center and a spacecraft simulator. A meteorite exhibit features fragments of several famous meteorites, including a piece of the Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico carbonaceous chondrite meteorite, which fell to the Earth on Feb. 8, 1969. This is the most primitive type of meteorite known contains interstellar grains (stardust) and is believed to have formed during an explosion of a supernova/red giant star before the birth of the solar system, making it one of the oldest substances known to man.

There are also three domed telescopes at the George Observatory: the largest is the 36-inch Gueymard Research Telescope, one of the largest telescopes in the nation open to the public on a regular basis. Used for inquiry and education, the telescopes at the Observatory allow both amateur and professional astronomers to conduct research, while visitors can gain firsthand knowledge of the beautiful and awe-inspiring sights of the night sky. Depending on the time of the month and the season of the year, visitors are able to observe a variety of phenomena, such as Saturn’s rings, cloud belts on Jupiter, a partial or total eclipse of the Moon, a bright meteor or fireball that lights up the ground, the Milky Way, or a close pairing of two planets.

The George Observatory is open for public viewing on Saturday evenings, and is available by reservation on Friday nights for groups of 30 or more. During weekdays, school groups can attend astronomy classes by reservation. These classes feature a special tour of the research telescope and a view through a solar telescope, allowing visitors to see sunspots, flares, and the ever-changing gas prominences of the Sun.