Canyon of the Eagles
The Society's Eagle Eye Observatory is located at a dark-sky site to which we have access through a contractual arrangement with the Canyon of the Eagles Resort. The resort address is:
16942 RR 2341
Burnet, TX 78611
Click here for a hard-copy map of the park and EEO. Click here for an interactive map.
The site, well removed from the lake, is a former cornfield on a large plateau with excellent horizons that is within the boundaries of the park. On good nights, the limiting magnitude at this site has reached +6.5.
The elevation of the Eagle Eye Observatory is about 1,100 feet or 335 meters above sea level, and its geographical coordinates are:
30° 53' 27.6" or 30° 53.46' or 30.8910 north latitude
98° 25' 34.4" or 98° 25.59' or 98.4265 west longitude
Driving Directions
The Eagle Eye Observatory is located inside the Canyon of the Eagles Nature Park, which is northwest of Burnet, Texas. The driving time from Austin is approximately 1.5 hours.
- Drive to Burnet, then Starting at the intersection of Highways 29 and 281 in Burnet
- Go west on Highway 29 for about 3.3 miles, then turn right on RR 2341
- Stay on RR 2341 for about 15 miles, until it ends at the COE entrance
- Go past the entrance kiosk, and then turn left to exit the parking lot
- Go about 75 yards and turn right on a gravel road
- Go 1/10 of a mile and turn right again. You will immediately encounter a gate
- Proceed through the gate, leaving it open or closed as you found it
- Go about 7/10 of a mile and you will arrive at the EEO parking area
About Eagle Eye Observatory
The Eagle Eye Observatory houses the 16-inch Ealing Educator Telescope, a research-grade Cassegrain which was donated to the Society and has been refurbished by Society members. Also housed in the observatory is the Society's original 12.5-inch Harlan Smith Telescope, a Newtonian originally constructed in the early 70's and recently refurbished for the second time in its history with the Society.
The Ealing Educator Telescope as it is currently mounted in the Eagle Eye Observatory.
The Harlan Smith Telescope (with wooden tube) and the Ealing Telescope in the background.
The observatory is a sliding-roof design, with two independently movable roof sections. This design allows a great deal of flexibility to accommodate a variety of public and private activities. Each roof section may be moved to create a variable-size side-viewing slit, or both sections may be moved to create a variable-size central-viewing slit, or both sections may be moved to open the entire structure to the sky.
Observatory training sessions are held from time to time for Society members. See the training session outline (updated January 2009).
Canyon of the Eagles Resort opens the Eagle Eye Observatory and hosts star parties, weather permitting, on some evenings. Check with them for the schedule.
Top of Page
Miscellaneous Equipment
In addition to the facilities and equipment described above, the Austin Astronomical Society owns and maintains several 6-inch and 8-inch reflector telescopes, as well as a number of eyepieces. These are available for use by members on monthly star party nights.
