WE’VE GONE VIRTUAL! We can’t meet in person right now for cafes, but we still want to connect you with scientists, researchers and guest speakers! Join us for the next Carolina Science Cafe on April 8 via Zoom. Carolina Science Cafe: National Biomechanics Day and the Science of Skipping will feature East Carolina University’s Leroy T. Walker Distinguished Professor Read more...
E-cigarettes and Vaping – Misconceptions, Health Effects, and Why I Care Our Teen Science Cafe has gone virtual! This week's topic is E-cigarettes and Vaping – Misconceptions, Health Effects, and Why I Care. The popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping devices has risen sharply over the past 10 years and the potential toxicology and health effects are Read more...
Join Morehead educators for a tutorial of Stellarium, a free, open-source planetarium software that shows what you see when you look up into the sky. We'll be using this tool for Morehead At Home: Skywatching sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. This tutorial will demonstrate the basics and provide some tips for using the software. You Read more...
This Morehead At Home: Skywatching session will include a journey through the night time sky for Thursday, 4/16/20 including early evening constellations such as Orion (and all of his friends and enemies,) an absurdly bright planet (Venus) and a treat for you early birds: three more planets and the Moon in the pre-dawn sky. *Please Note: Read more...
A Journey To & Through Med School Speaker: Steve Mow About Steve: Steve is an aspiring doctor studying at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. While working towards being a physician, Steve’s passion is teaching and has taught science both formally and informally for years for institutions committed to science education. Outside of Read more...
Have you ever wanted to watch a 360° video of a planetarium show? Now you can! Explore the relationship between Earth, Moon and Sun with the help of Coyote, an amusing character adapted from Native American oral traditions. Read more about the show here.
Learn the skill of star hopping! Discover how to star hop with the Big Dipper and find your way to the North Star, to a lion in the sky, and to two of the brightest stars. We’ll also share a Southern Paiute story about a mountain sheep who climbed a really tall mountain and turned Read more...
How Dark is Your Sky? Leo Knows. More than 99% of us in the United States live under light-polluted skies. We’ll explore how our use of outdoor lighting affects what you can, and can’t, see in your nighttime sky, and we’ll take a look at the breathtaking sights a truly dark sky has to offer. Read more...
Life in the times of Covid-19 (coronavirus) Speaker: Joanna Ramirez About Joanna: Joanna Ramirez is the Community Outreach Coordinator for UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her role is to create and foster meaningful communication with communities to improve cancer outcomes across NC. When she’s not answering work emails, she loves to read and watch her Read more...
Join us on a futuristic adventure with Jack Larson as we explore what could happen if humans consume all the resources of Earth. Jack will embark on a quest to discover a new home for humans to colonize, piloting his spacecraft on a wild ride through our Solar System. Read more about the show here.
Take a trip of billions of miles with us! Today we’ll go on an imaginary vacation through the solar system, making stops at several planets. We’ll consider the sightseeing possibilities at each destination, as well as what you should pack for your trip. Along the way, you’ll learn how to identify planets in tonight’s sky. Read more...
“What’s Your Sign?” The Constellations of the Zodiac We’ll use planetarium software to identify constellations of the zodiac, learn why they’re associated with particular dates (but maybe not the dates you were expecting), and discover the scientific reason it’s worth learning to identify zodiac constellations—spoiler: it’s a way to find planets. Note: This is a Read more...
Tackling Climate Change: Where are we now and how do we move forward? Join us for a conversation with Lauren McRae who will discuss climate change and the ways scientists are looking to combat it within the next decade. About Laren: Lauren is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry, Materials Division at the Read more...
Join uniquely-animated brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright for a full-throttle adventure through the history and into the future of aeronautics! You'll take a look at the science, pilots and inventors that allowed humans to take to the skies, and learn about the four forces of flight — lift, weight, thrust and drag. Read more about Read more...
When can you see the Moon in the sky? What does it look like close up? How does its appearance change from day to day? Has anyone ever been to the Moon? We’ll discuss these questions, and share a Lithuanian story about the Sun and Moon during this Morehead At Home session! *Please Note: Registration Read more...
Insights from the UNC Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory How do positive emotions accumulate and compound to transform people’s lives for the better? What do experts think about the impacts of physical distancing on our well-being and the new normal? Join us online this Wednesday, May 6 at 6pm as Dr. Barbara Fredrickson and members Read more...
Have you ever wondered if there is life anywhere besides Earth? We want to explore this question with you during this Morehead At Home session. We'll use a planetarium view of our night sky as a backdrop, and discuss the prospects for life elsewhere in our own solar system, as well as how we find Read more...
During this Virtual Teen Science Cafe, Alexandria Niebergall will be talking generally about the role that the ocean plays in moderating the Earth's climate, the big research fields in oceanography today, and what a "day in the life" looks like for an early career oceanographer. About Alexandria: Alex grew up in California and graduated with Read more...
“The Longest Night: A Winter’s Tale” is a one-of-a-kind fulldome planetarium show that captures its audience with a timeless fable of courage, generosity and renewal. Its story explores the concept that winter is a time for Earth to rest, waiting for new growth in the spring. Its star, a young girl born into a family Read more...
We’ll tour the May sky as it appears from North Carolina and show you how to identify planets and stars that 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...
Find out what the International Space Station is, who’s currently living on it, and how YOU can see the space station fly over tonight (May 14). *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until 10:00 a.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 10:00 a.m. Read more...
So You Think It’s Your Chance – Are You Prepared for Success in High School, in College, in Life? Getting ready for college involves developing a mindset that includes an awareness, preparedness, and readiness for success. Join us in this workshop with Linwood Webster to talk about the value of high-impact opportunities and practices both during Read more...
This immersive planetarium show highlights some of the unique stories about the American South, and explores the South's complicated past, the present, and its hopeful future. *Please note that this show may not be suitable for children under 12 years of age.
Where is Pluto in our sky? How was Pluto discovered? Why did it get booted from the planet club? We’ll hitch a virtual ride on NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft to visit and learn about everyone’s favorite former planet. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until 10:00 a.m. If Read more...
The sky is a time machine! The deeper you look into space, the farther back in time you see. Explore the scale of our universe, and find out just how far (and how far back in time) you can see. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until 10:00 Read more...
Join us for this Virtual Teen Science Cafe edition with Engineering Manager, Kendra Settles. We'll talk about women in engineering leadership, and discuss how simple circuits play a role in our lives. Kendra will also show a fun and simple circuit activity that you can try at home! About Kendra: Kendra works as an Engineering Read more...
Trapped in a giant semi-transparent dome, you watch as a single fly buzzes aimlessly above and finally comes to a rest on top. As the lights hauntingly flicker, a cockroach scurries over to the fly and you suddenly realize that you’re not alone – the entire dome is filling up with hundreds of creeping, crawling, Read more...
We’ll combine science and storytelling and learn to find some of the constellations in the current night sky that are associated with Greek myths. You’ll hear how the bears Ursa Major and Ursa Minor got their really long tails, why Corvus the Crow will eternally regret telling a lie about a water snake, and why Read more...
NASA astronauts are headed to the International Space Station today in the first launch of humans from U.S. soil in nearly a decade. Michael Neece (aka Meteor Mike) will explain how Morehead Planetarium trained many of the early NASA astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk on the Moon. *Please Note: Registration is Read more...
Biomedical engineering has a long history that spans more than 3,000 years. Simple crutches and splints are some of the earliest and most basic forms, but humans have made significant progress since then. Prosthesis, artificial organs, and even your favorite wearable tech (smart watch anyone?!) all rely on biomedical engineering research to be successful. Join Read more...
This 360 short is a part of a co-production with the Bell Museum at the University of Minnesota. Using archival recordings of the momentous moments of the Moon landing, One Giant Leap is an immersive view that explores what this event meant to the generation that experienced and discusses what might be the world’s next Read more...
What is the Sun and what is it made of? Just how big is it? How does it compare to the stars we see at night? How do scientists study the Sun? We’ll explore these questions and hitch a virtual ride on NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to find out what more we might learn about Read more...
CBD, an extract from the cannabis or marijuana plant, is gaining attention. Once known as a “hippie’s disappointment,” CBD has now been labeled as a therapeutic cure-all, but its popularity has outpaced the science. How much do we know? Join us for a fascinating discussion of research findings by a team at UNC who are Read more...
Black holes aren’t just in science fiction. These mysterious objects really exist—including in our own Milky Way galaxy. We’ll learn what a black hole is, where they lurk in our night sky, and why it’d be a really terrible idea to visit one. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be Read more...
Join us for a conversation with Jessica Amsbary, who will talk about STEM learning opportunity gaps and why starting STEM learning early is important. She will explain how STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education Center (STEMIE) are planning to teach foundational computational thinking concepts to very young children with differing abilities by sharing a Read more...
Is there another world out there suitable for humans? How are humans exploring space to find these worlds and how do they determine their viability? Chat more about these questions and more during a very special Teen Science Cafe with Charlotte Minsky. About Charlotte: Charlotte is a recent graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Read more...
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...
We’ll tour the August 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. Be sure to download the August and September Carolina Skies Star Map here. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link Read more...
Forty-three years ago, the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft launched from Earth to study the outer solar system. Find out what the Voyager spacecraft have discovered, where they are now, what they’re still discovering today—and what any aliens who come across the spacecraft may learn about us from the Golden Record on board. *Please Read more...
Explore NASA's highly anticipated James Webb Space Telescope with Morehead educators by looking into the history of the project and the current plan for the telescope's launch and operation. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until 10:00 a.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page Read more...
We’ll combine science and storytelling and learn to find some of the constellations in the summer and fall night skies that are associated with Greek myths. You’ll hear how Phaethon’s terrible driving of the Sun chariot led to the creation of the Milky Way, how Perseus killed Medusa and rescued Princess Andromeda from a sea Read more...
Speaker: Dr. Checo Rorie, Associate Professor of Genetics | North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University About Dr. Rorie: Dr. Rorie is an Associate Professor and the Interim Chair of the Department of Biology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He has a Cancer Genetics and Cell Biology laboratory where he studies breast Read more...
We’ll tour the September 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...
Get ready for International Observe the Moon Night this coming Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, by learning Moon science and stories and discovering the best phases for observing the Moon (spoiler alert: not full moon). *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until 10:00 a.m. If you’re having trouble accessing Read more...
Celebrate International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, September 26, 2020, by learning Moon science and stories and discovering the best phases for observing the Moon (spoiler alert: not full moon). This event is a part of a Cape Fear Museum program.
We’ll tour the fall sky as it appears from North Carolina and discover why fall 2020 will be an especially good time to view Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Make sure you check out the star chart for October and November here. *Please Note: Registration is not required. The Zoom link will not be live until Read more...
Join us for a scientific look at humanity's most famous mythological beast! We'll look into the taxonomy of dragons, and watch Draco slither across the sky. To cap it off, we will have fire demonstrations! Speakers include Morehead Educators: Amy Sayle, Nick Eakes, Daniel Wheeler, Wayne Capps Please Note: Participants need to register for this Virtual Read more...
Virtual STEMville!
Virtual STEMville!
Virtual STEMville!
Virtual STEMville!
Virtual STEMville!
Join us for this Teen Science Cafe with Jeromy Rech; we will discuss creating new types of plastics including those that can conduct electricity and be used in solar panels. We will also have a virtual lab tour to see where some of this chemistry is done. Finally, we'll look at some applications of these Read more...
Virtual STEMville!
The heart is a complex organ powered by electricity to move blood throughout an entire organism. In this Teen Science Cafe, we will explore the cells responsible for electrical activity in the heart, cardiac pacemaking cells, and what characteristics these cells need to function. About the speaker: Kandace Thomas is a 5th year Genetic and Molecular Read more...
Have you ever wondered how common conjunctions like the "great conjunction" on December 21, 2020 happen? How often is there a full moon on Halloween? Using clues in the book "The Martian" and what we know about launch opportunities to Mars, when would Mark Whatney's mission take place? We'll chat with Tony Rice for this Teen Read more...
