From the Annals of the Skywatchers – In 1939, the Otto Struve telescope at the  McDonald Observatory was dedicated.  The Struve Telescope was the first major telescope to be built at McDonald Observatory. Its 2.1-meter (82-inch) mirror was the second largest in the world at the time. The telescope is still in use today. The popular observatory is located on Mount Locke  and Mount Fowlkes in the Davis Mountains and is a unit of The University of Texas at Austin featuring astronomical research, teaching, and public education and outreach.   The Davis Mountains offer some of the darkest night skies in the continental United States.