NOCO ~ The online magazine of North St. Louis County

Starry Eyed Surprise: NoCo’s TWO Observatories

admin | Feb 24, 2010 | Comments 6

Every month, the public can enjoy free viewings of the night sky at UMSL's Schwartz Observatory. Photo credit: Mark Scott Abeln, Rome of the West*

You may already know that North County played a huge role in the history of the US space program and that all of the Gemini and Mercury space capsules were built right here, at the former McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. But did you realize that NoCo is also home to two of the three public observatories in St. Louis?

Both UMSL and the Pattonville School District have observatories that are open to the public, for free, at least once a month for most of the year. And wow, what an amazing view they offer!

Technically, UMSL has the stronger telescope – a 14″ Schmidt-Cassegrain Celestron versus Pattonville’s new 10″ Meade – but Pattonville has the distinction of being the first school or college in Missouri to open its own observatory and planetarium, way back in 1967. Perfect for cloudy evenings, the planetarium can hold up to 25 people and offers a 360-degree projected view of the galaxy. And yes, it’s free too!

Both observatories have staff or students on hand to answer astronomy questions, so come prepared to learn. And if you’re heading to UMSL, dress for the weather. The observatory is outdoors.

For more info and specific directions to the upcoming open houses, just follow the links below:

Pattonville Observatory: March 5, 7:30pm. See Saturn, a near full moon, celestial six pack, M42, star birth, star life cycle and star colors.

UMSL’s Schwartz Observatory: March 20, 7:30pm. See Saturn, Mars, Venus, a first quarter moon and the Beehive Cluster.

UPDATE, 2/26: Turns out NoCo has THREE observatories open to the public! Thanks to Max Slover and KCFV‘s Tim Gorry for letting me know that Flo Valley’s observatory, located on top of the college library, will be open for tours as part of the campus open house: April 10, 11am-2pm.

(*The lovely image in this post was taken by Mark Scott Abeln, a very talented photographer who runs a fascinating blog about Catholic St. Louis called Rome of the West. Check it out!)