Stargazing in Houston, TX 2023-2024

Home to the world-renowned Space Center, Houston attracts many astronomy enthusiasts. Being a big city with lots of light pollution, Houston is obviously not an ideal place for stargazing. However, if you get away from the populated areas, southeastern Texas offers many sweet spots for constellation chasers.

Brazos Bend State Park is perhaps the favorite stargazing location for Houston residents. The large 4,897 ac (1,981 ha) state park along the Brazos River can be reached within less than a one-hour drive from the city. Due to its relatively remote location, Brazos Bend has become one of the best spots for dark skies on the Texas Gulf Coast.

The George Observatory is the main attraction in the Brazos Bend Park. Equipped with three large domed telescopes, the observatory is a great unpolluted place to educate yourself and get quality images from high-powered telescopes. Its 36-inch Gueymard Research Telescope is one of the largest in the country.

Depending on the month, visitors can observe different objects and phenomena: the Milky Way, Saturn’s rings, cloud belts on Jupiter, and meteors. The observatory offers astronomy classes and educational exhibits. Operated by the Houston Museum of Natural Science, The George Observatory is open year-round; however, it's available for visits on Saturdays only. Weekdays are reserved for groups. General admission to the observatory is $7.

In addition to Brazos Bend Park, there are many other stargazing spots in Texas, including those recognized by the International Dark Sky Association