Welcome to the Pattonville Observatory General Information Page!

What:  The Pattonville Observatory  has an 11-inch Schmidt-Cassgrain telescope which can be used to view planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies and globular clusters.

Where:  The silver dome atop Pattonville Heights Middle School  located at 195 Fee Fee Rd., Maryland Heights, MO 63043. Please enter the door directly below the dome.  Click on this link to obtain a map (in PDF format, download viewer if needed at the Acrobat Website).

When:  Approximately two Fridays every month during the school year in the early evening after sunset.  Please see the Announcements page and the Calendar page for details.

Cost:  Totally and completely Free!!

What if it is cloudy?  In the event of rain or clouds, we also have a fully functional planetarium and substitute a planetarium program instead.  The planetarium is located at the opposite end of the building from the blue dome but all you need do is follow the signs inside the building.  The planetarium is a small theater with seating for 25 around a Spitz projector which illuminates a 360 degree hemispheric screen overhead.

Who:  Doug Azwell is the observatory and planetarium instructor.  He has been interested in astronomy since he was a young boy, and has been a serious amateur astronomer for quite a few years and has his own private observatory.  He holds a bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from Mississippi State University and has worked with MECS (formally known as Monsanto Enviro-Chem Systems) since 1995 as a technical and research engineering specialist in the company's Mist Eliminator division.  He works on development of new and improved technology for the filtration industry and has three patents pending approval.

Dr. Kathy Kitts was our previous observatory and planetarium instructor for nine years until June 2004.  She took a faculty position at Northern Illinois University in their Geology and Geosciences department.  

Instructor contact information:

For further information please contact our instructor Doug Azwell. 

What about private showings?  We do have a limited number of openings each semester for private showings.  These are usually reserved fairly quickly by Girl and Boy Scout groups and are free for those groups supported by the Pattonville School District itself. All other groups are charged a $75 custodial fee.  In order to arrange for a private showing, please contact the Health and Science Coordinator's Office at:

Pattonville School District
Instructional Coordinating Center
11001 St. Charles Rock Rd.
St. Ann, MO 63074

Dr. Paul Markovits Coordinator
314-213-8233
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