TRO is privately owned and was originally based on a collaboration between the Swenson Family Ranch,
Arthur Sweeney and the Citizen Astronomers Collaborative in 2019. Its purpose is to host remote telescope imaging.
In conjunction with the University of Dallas Physics Department and original CAC group, the TRO
hosts a Software Bisque/Celestron 14/QHY600 equipped telescope. It is primarily used for
Exo-Planet research in conjunction with Astronomers from the University of Dallas Physics Department
The Swenson Ranch in Throckmorton is one of the last ranches belonging to the most iconic brands in Texas history - SMS (Svante Magnus Swenson).
The historic Swenson Ranches trace their origin to Svante Magnus Swenson, the first Swedish immigrant to arrive in Texas, landing near what is now Galveston in 1838.
The famous SMS brand, with two backward S’s was one of the first registered in Texas and was derived from Swenson’s initials. Swenson, a close ally of Sam Houston,
played an active role in the state’s early history. By 1970, SMS ranche holdings totaled over 250,000 acres.
(Pictures credit: Swenson R. Mcculloch, Swenson Land & Cattle Co, John R. Jennings)
Sources:
Chas S Middleton and Son.
Clark, Mary Whatley - The Swenson Saga and the SMS Ranches (Austin, Texas: Jenkins Book Publishing Co. 1976)
Baize, Wayne – Swenson Land & Cattle Company (2014)
Anderson, H. Allen - SMS Ranches (Texas State Historical Association)
In 2020 the current remote observatory was constructed on a 14,000 thousand acre Swenson Family Ranch near
Throckmorton Texas. The location was chosen for its dark Bortle 1 skies and isolation of untouched rustic ranchland.
It is the closest location to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex that exhibits true Bortle 1 skies. In fact it
is one of the few sites in Texas that exhibits such dark skies and ideal conditions.
A road trip along State Highway 380 from Denton takes you through some of the most iconic and beautiful areas of North Texas.
TRO is located 145 miles due west of Fort Worth, TX. at an altitude of 1322 feet.
Heading west from Graham TX., it's an hour drive through sparsely populated areas to reach the observatory. A trip at night
illustrates how sparsely populated this area is. The nearest town to the
observatory is Throckmorton, Texas with a population of 749.