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:
Friday, August 14, 2026
8:00pm - 10:00pm
The Moon is in a thin waxing crescent phase and will set by 9 pm. We will take advantage after that to view some of the dimmer objects.
Venus is the only planet visible in the evening sky right now. Saturn will rise in the East right after the end of our session so we will take a look at it next time briefly.. You have to get up before dawn to see the other major planets at this time.
The Sagittarius and Scorpius regions are in perfect position for viewing for this session. There are many good objects to view in this area including the open clusters M8 (Lagoon Nebula), M7 (Ptolemy’s cluster) and M6 (Butterfly cluster) as well as the globular clusters M3, M22 and M4.
Late summer and early fall is a good time to view the Ring Nebula which is the remnants of an exploded star found in Lyra. The big globular cluster M13 in Hercules will be visible, as is one of the brightest globular clusters called M15. The famous Double Cluster will also be available. The dark skies will allow us to see our nearest neighbor galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy. Also, overhead is the summer asterism of the Summer triangle which comprises the brighter stars Vega, Deneb and Altair (of the constellations Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila respectively).
Some stars we will focus on include Epsion Lyrae, the famous Double Double in Lyra, the beautiful double star Albireo in Cygnus, the double star Mizar in the handle of the Big Dipper and Antares in Scorpius.
Come spend the evening viewing the cosmos with your family, residents and non-residents are 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 at the observatory.
Night Sky News
Here's some info about what's going on in the sky.
