According to a Korean story, eclipses happen when a king’s fire dogs try to steal light from the Sun or Moon. We’ll tell that story, explain the science behind what causes solar and lunar eclipses, and simulate upcoming eclipses visible from North Carolina. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be Read more...
Do aliens exist? The Drake Equation provides a way to ponder the possibility of intelligent life in the universe. As a group, we’ll work together to use this equation to estimate the number of intelligent civilizations that we might be able to communicate with in our own galaxy. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Read more...
This week we'll be joined by Megan Damico for a discussion about BUGS! More specifically, Megan will talk about how different factors - like diet and age - can influence the composition of insect gut microbiomes. Do you know what's even cooler? She studies all of these things using honey bees! About Megan: Megan Damico Read more...
We’ll tour the June sky as it appears from North Carolina and show you how to identify planets and stars you can see from outside your own home on the next clear night. Make sure you check out the star chart for this month. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not Read more...
“Where’s Orion?”: the relationship between the seasons and the sky Why can’t you—or anyone else on our planet—see the constellation Orion the Hunter in the current night sky? According to Greek myth, it’s the fault of Orion’s enemy, the Scorpion. We’ll tell that story, then we’ll explore the science behind how Earth’s orbit around the Read more...
Massive stars end their lives with a bang! We’ll discuss what a supernova is, show you an easy demo you can do using materials in your own home, and teach you to identify stars that will eventually go supernova. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until 10:00 a.m. Read more...
Life and death of a star—in just half an hour Experience billions of years in the life of a star in just 30 minutes. From objects you can see with the unaided eye to dramatic Hubble Space Telescope imagery, you can see stellar evolution at work in the sky…if you know where to look. *Please Read more...
Using only your eyes and a clear sky, you can figure out what direction is what in your own neighborhood. We’ll explore two ways to find Polaris—the North Star—in tonight’s sky (as well as one way not to), and we’ll discuss why Polaris lies in the north all night long and all year long. We’ll Read more...
We’ll tour the early July sky as it appears from North Carolina and show you how to identify planets and stars you can see from outside your own home on the next clear night. Make sure you check out the star chart for this month. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will Read more...
All around the world, people have looked up at the night sky and told stories about what they’ve seen. While using planetarium software to introduce you to tonight’s sky, we’ll share tales of how the Moon got into the sky, how a worm became the Milky Way, why a bear hunt in the sky makes Read more...
We’ll use planetarium software to take a tour of the night sky, with a focus on deep-sky objects such as star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. We’ll zoom in to see stunning images of these celestial delights. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until 10:00 a.m. If you’re having Read more...
Why does the Sun rise and set? What does the Moon look like close-up? What causes the Moon to appear to change shape over the month? Let's explore the relationship between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. We’ll use planetarium software to help us answer these questions. To extend this lesson, you can watch the Read more...
Take a virtual trip with us through the solar system as we explore what we’ve learned about our planetary neighbors through our robotic spacecraft. To extend this lesson, you can watch the FREE video of Morehead’s planetarium show Solar System Odyssey here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqMsnhFgBOA&feature=youtu.be *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be Read more...
Fifty-one years ago yesterday, a human being first walked on the Moon, in what astronaut Neil Armstrong called a “giant leap” for humankind. What might our next giant leaps be? To learn more about the Apollo 11 Moon landing, watch Morehead’s 6-minute 360° video One Giant Leap here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPsNUPdQC_4&feature=youtu.be. *Please Note: Registration is not required. Read more...
We’ll tour the late July sky as it appears from North Carolina and show you how to identify planets and stars you can see from outside your own home on the next clear night. Make sure you check out the star chart for this month. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will Read more...
We’re going to Mars! NASA is about to launch a new rover, named Perseverance, to the Red Planet. We’ll go over the basics of this mission, including how the rover got named, when it’ll launch and how you can watch, when and where and how the rover will land on Mars, and what it’ll do Read more...
Okay, you couldn't get enough of our Tuesday's Mission to Mars session, so we're back for part two! NASA is about to launch a new rover to Mars. What we do already know about this planet, and how do we know it? We’ll take a look at some previous missions to Mars and discuss what Read more...
Two NASA astronauts are expected to return to Earth from the International Space Station on August 2nd! Find out what was historic about their mission and how to spot the space station in your sky tonight. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until 10:00 a.m. If you’re having Read more...
The best summertime meteor shower peaks tonight. Find out what a meteor (“shooting star”) is, what one looks like, and how you can view the Perseid meteor shower tonight if the weather permits. Here's your handy checklist for viewing the 2020 Perseid meteor shower. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not Read more...
