Tracking the Cosmos
Located on the 4th floor, the observatory is named in honor of Curtis Torrey Vaughan Jr., longtime successful businessman, philanthropist, and local amateur astronomer in the San Antonio area. As a result of his interest in astronomy, he was involved for many years with the McDonald Observatory located in Fort Davis, Texas and served as Chairman of the McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors.
The telescope in our observatory once belonged to Mr. Vaughan. It is a research grade 16" Meade LX200 Advanced Coma Free telescope that was donated to UTSA for scientific research for physics and astronomy students. Currently, it is being used in tracking asteroids and minor orbiting bodies within our solar system for orbital tracking.
Photo Credit: Bryan Tobias