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.
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:
Thursday, January 23
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
The Moon is in a waning crescent phase and will NOT be visible the entire session. As a result, we will be able to see some of the dimmer objects.
Jupiter, Uranus and Mars are well placed in the South and will be targets for the evening. We’ll get a nice look at those three of the four famous Galilean Moons. Io will not be visible because it will slide behind Jupiter before the session begins and won’t come back until well after 9 pm Saturn, Venus and Neptune will be low in the west and Saturn will set halfway through the session. Mercury is below the horizon for tonight.
The “Celestial Six-Pack” of winter constellations consisting of Auriga, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Taurus, Orion and Gemini are in great position and will be with us for the next couple of months. They are marked by the stars Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Caster and Capella as well as Betelgeuse, Rigel and Aldebaran.
Taurus and Auriga are well placed in the East and the Pleiades are visible along with some of the open clusters in Auriga such as M36, M37 and M38. Orion will be just above the horizon right at the end of our session. If it’s not too hazy, we might get a look at the great Orion Nebula or M42 as well as M35 in Gemini. Some of these clusters will be hard to see with the full Moon
M44, the Beehive Cluster, is a large open cluster in Cancer rising in the East. M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, our nearest galactic neighbor and the Double Cluster will also be targets.
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. If it is raining or cloudy, a program will still be presented so come on up!
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.