Observatory
A Night at the Pattonville Observatory!
The Pattonville School District is home to its own planetarium and observatory.
The observatory, located at Pattonville Heights Middle School, is the first school or college in Missouri to have a planetarium/observatory facility located in one of its buildings. Throughout the school year, the district hosts regular viewing sessions of the night sky. For dates and the upcoming areas of focus in the sky, see below.
W h a t : The Pattonville Observatory has an 10-inch Schmidt-Cassgrain telescope which can be used to view planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies and globular clusters.
Where: The white dome atop Pattonville Heights Middle School located at 195 Fee Fee Rd., Maryland Heights, MO 63043. Please enter the door directly below the white dome on the roof of the building just to the right of the gym. ( Click for a Map)
When: Approximately two Fridays every month during the school year in the early evening after sunset.
Cost: Totally and completely Free!!
Observatory and Planetarium
Public Viewing Sessions
The observatory is located at Pattonville Heights Middle School, 195 Fee Fee Road. Access in the evening is next to the gym at the end of the parking lot using the door below the observatory dome. To find out more or hear up-to-date information, contact the information hotline at 314-213-8034.
Next Session:
The Pattonville Observatory and Planetarium Public Viewing Session
Friday, April 25, 2025
8:00pm-10:00pm
The Moon will be in a waning crescent phase and will not be visible tonight. We will take advantage and look for some dimmer objects.
Jupiter is higher than Uranus in the western sky. All four of Jupiter’s Galilean Moons, Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede will be visible. Mars is high in the sky and will be visible as well. Venus, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will not be visible for this session.
The “Celestial Six-Pack” of winter constellations consisting of Auriga, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Taurus, Orion and Gemini are now beginning to set in the west. They are marked by the stars that form a giant circle and include Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Caster, Capella, Aldebaran, and Rigel with Betelgeuse in the middle. Leo, with it’s bright star Regulus is well positioned in the East. We will do some star hopping using the Big Dipper and locate Arcturus and Spica rising in the East, along with M13, the great Hercules globular cluster.
We will look at the large open cluster The Pleiades or M45, M42 the Great Orion Nebula, and M44, the Beehive Cluster and the Double Cluster. We can also view M35 in Gemini, a nice open cluster. If the skies are dark enough, we can try for M41 as well.
Come spend the evening viewing the cosmos with your family, residents and non-residents are welcome! Students, who are accompanied by their parents, are especially welcome! Please take note that the dome is not heated or cooled, so pay attention to the weather and dress in a manner that is appropriate for the evening temperature conditions. Even if it is raining or cloudy, a program will still be presented.
Jupiter is higher than Uranus in the western sky. All four of Jupiter’s Galilean Moons, Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede will be visible. Mars is high in the sky and will be visible as well. Venus, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will not be visible for this session.
The “Celestial Six-Pack” of winter constellations consisting of Auriga, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Taurus, Orion and Gemini are now beginning to set in the west. They are marked by the stars that form a giant circle and include Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Caster, Capella, Aldebaran, and Rigel with Betelgeuse in the middle. Leo, with it’s bright star Regulus is well positioned in the East. We will do some star hopping using the Big Dipper and locate Arcturus and Spica rising in the East, along with M13, the great Hercules globular cluster.
We will look at the large open cluster The Pleiades or M45, M42 the Great Orion Nebula, and M44, the Beehive Cluster and the Double Cluster. We can also view M35 in Gemini, a nice open cluster. If the skies are dark enough, we can try for M41 as well.
Come spend the evening viewing the cosmos with your family, residents and non-residents are welcome! Students, who are accompanied by their parents, are especially welcome! Please take note that the dome is not heated or cooled, so pay attention to the weather and dress in a manner that is appropriate for the evening temperature conditions. Even if it is raining or cloudy, a program will still be presented.
Observatory Dates for 2024-2025
| Day | Date | Time |
| Friday | August 23, 2024 | 8-10 pm |
| Friday | August 30, 2024 | 8-10 pm |
| Friday | September 13, 2024 | 8-10 pm |
| Friday | September 27, 2024 | 8-10 pm |
| Friday | October 11, 2024 | 8-10 pm |
| Friday | October 25, 2024 | 7-9 pm |
| Friday | November 8, 2024 | 7-9 pm |
| Friday | November 22, 2024 | 7-9 pm |
| Friday | December 13, 2024 | 7-9 pm |
| Thursday | December 19, 2024 | 7-9 pm |
| Thursday | January 23, 2025 | 7-9 pm |
| Friday | January 31, 2025 | 7-9 pm |
| Friday | February 7, 2025 | 7-9 pm |
| Friday | February 28, 2025 | 7-9 pm |
| Friday | March 7, 2025 | 7-9 pm |
| Friday | March 28, 2025 | 8-10 pm |
| Friday | April 11, 2025 | 8-10 pm |
| Friday | April 25, 2025 | 8-10 pm |
| Friday | May 2, 2025 | 8:30-10:30 pm |
| Friday | May 9, 2025 | 8:30-10:30 pm |
Night Sky News
Here's some info about what's going on in the sky.
Planet Parade!