Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Virtual Skywatching - Jupiter/Saturn Conjunction w/Raleigh Astronomy Club
2020-12-21 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)

[FULL] Skywatching: The Perseids at Little River Regional Park
2021-08-12 21:00 - 23:00
Join us at Little River Regional park for the highly-anticipated return of our in-person skywatching events! You’ll get a chance to view the Perseids at its peak and enjoy one of – if not THE – best meteor shower of the year.

Cost: FREE – ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

This event is now FULL.

Location: Little River Regional Park, off Guess Road at the Durham/Orange county border (click here for directions)

Please Note

This event is now full. We hope we’ll see you at the next scheduled event at House in the Horseshoe state historic site on Friday, September 10 from 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm.
Find more information about the event here.

[SOLD OUT] Skywatching | Stagville Under the Stars
2021-10-08 19:30 - 21:00
Join us with friends at Historic Stagville for outdoor stargazing and storytelling.

Join Historic Stagville and Morehead Planetarium & Science Center for Stagville Under the Stars! Storytelling, science, and stargazing, all in one evening.

This year’s event will be ALL OUTDOORS. This event is free, but pre-registration is required and the event is limited to 50 participants. There will be a check in when you arrive.

Storytelling will begin at 7:30, with stargazing and a star tour afterwards. Hear African folktales about the sun, moon, and stars, and then peer through telescopes to take a tour of the stars. This event is perfect for kids and families.

Since we’ll be outdoors, please wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather.

[CANCELED] Skywatching: Dix Park
2021-11-06 19:00 - 21:00
Due to poor weather forecast, this skywatching session has been CANCELED. Check our skywatching page in the coming weeks for information on future skywatching sessions.

Solar Skywatching at Kidzu Children's Museum
2021-12-18 11:00 - 13:00
Join us at Kidzu Children’s Museum on Saturday 12/18 for safe solar observing as part of their James Webb Space Telescope Launch Party community event.

We’ll be set up in the parking lot at University Place in Chapel Hill, near the mall entrance by Alfredo’s Pizza. The mall address is 201 S. Estes Dr, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.

Solar observing will be available from 11AM – 1PM, and will be free – no registration required. Come by and explore the Sun with us!

The community event at Kidzu is also free but does require registration. You can register for their event here and learn more on their website.

Skywatching: Statewide Star Party at Chapel Hill Public Library
2022-04-08 16:00 - 19:00 | Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Are you stoked about stars? Mystified by the moon? Would you like to get better acquainted with a telescope?

If your answer is “yes”, then join us for the tenth annual Statewide Star Party!

Chapel Hill Public Library will once again host an in-person Star Party on Friday, April 8, 2022, from 4-7 p.m.

We will hold two outdoor programs under this year’s theme, “Understanding the Universe,” in partnership with CHAOS (the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society).

During our “Explore the Moon with Binoculars” program, CHAOS astronomers will tell you all about the Moon and show you how easy it is to sky watch with binoculars.

In our “Meet the Telescope” program, CHAOS members will introduce you to the mechanisms of a telescope and show you how to use one to explore the night sky.

Inside the library, we’ll also have a presentation by a NASA Solar System Ambassador Volunteer and lots of exciting activities to inspire you to reach for the stars. Come explore the universe with us, from the comfort of your local library. This event is free and open to the public. No registration required. Participants must adhere to Chapel Hill Public Library’s current COVID-19 guidelines.

The NC Science Festival’s annual Statewide Star Party is made possible through the generous support of the NC Space Grant.

Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2022-05-10 20:00 - 23:00 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours, educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Mark your calendars for future dates:

June 13July 11August 8September 12

[CANCELED] Skywatching: Dix Park - Total Lunar Eclipse
2022-05-15 21:30 - 23:59 | Dix Park, 1010 Blair Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27603, United States
Join staff and volunteers from the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society (CHAOS), and Raleigh Astronomy Club (RAC) for skywatching at Dix Park.

Look through telescopes, facilitated by Morehead staff and dedicated volunteers, at a variety of objects in the sky including Jupiter and Saturn.

To set the stargazing mood, the Triangle Sax Ensemble will be playing some tunes! Bring a blanket or chairs so you can relax under the stars.

Click here to learn more about how you can view the Total Lunar Eclipse.

Register Here

Registration: This event is free and no ticket required. Registration helps us plan for attendance and we can update registered participants of inclement weather changes.

Teen Science Cafe: Our Vanishing Night
2022-05-20 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Science Stage, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
OUR VANISHING NIGHT

For generations, everyone experienced the breathtaking beauty of an unspoiled night sky, with views into our universe of thousands of stars and the Milky Way. In this program, you’ll discover how light pollution affects our view of the night sky, find out how to participate in a worldwide citizen-science campaign to document light pollution, and try your hand at designing better streetlights that put light only where it’s needed. Under the planetarium dome, you’ll experience a stunning night sky studded with stars, just as our ancestors did—and as we could too, if we reduced light pollution.

About our speaker: Amy Sayle, PhD, communicates astronomy to the public and tells stories about the stars under the Morehead Planetarium sky, at skywatching events, on night paddles at Jordan Lake, and under dark skies at Bryce Canyon National Park’s annual astronomy festival. She is a founder and coordinator of the North Carolina Science Festival’s annual Statewide Star Party, which features dozens of skywatching events from the NC mountains to the coast on the same weekend in April.

About Teen Science Cafe: Teen Science Cafe is a monthly event, inviting teens to talk directly with scientists about their work. Designed specifically for ages 13-18, we invite guests to ask questions and participate in interesting discussions. This is a free event and offers an opportunity for socializing before the talk with a mini pizza party. Pizza served outside Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at 5:30 pm. The program will begin at 6:00 pm.

RSVP on Facebook for Updates

Photo credit: Steve Christensen. Image: Milky Way over Jordan Lake.

Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2022-06-13 20:00 - 23:00 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours, educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Mark your calendars for future dates:

July 11August 8September 12

Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2022-07-11 20:00 - 23:00 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours, educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Mark your calendars for future dates:

August 8September 12

Skywatching: James Webb Space Telescope Event
2022-07-14 18:30 - 20:00 | Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
See the stunning first scientific images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope! Join Morehead Planetarium and Science Center educators Nick Eakes and Amy Sayle in learning about the most powerful and complex telescope ever launched into space and how it will help us answer some of humanity’s biggest questions.

Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2022-08-08 20:00 - 23:00 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours, educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Mark your calendars for future dates:

September 12

Skywatching: Perseid Meteor Shower at Dix Park
2022-08-12 21:00 - 23:00 | Dix Park, 1010 Blair Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27603, United States
Join staff and volunteers from the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and Raleigh Astronomy Club to view the Perseid Meteor Shower at Dix Park.

To set the stargazing mood, the Triangle Sax Ensemble will be playing some tunes! Look through telescopes, facilitated by Morehead staff and dedicated volunteers, at the eclipse and other objects in the sky! Bring a blanket or chairs so you can relax under the stars.

This is an informal session, so you can arrive and leave any time during the program. However, if you plan to attend, please register so that we can send you any additional information you may need as we get closer to the date.

Please leave all pets at home, even those on a leash. Darkness, lots of people, expensive telescopes and pets on leashes is a bad combination. Pets will not be permitted near the telescopes.

Register

Registration: This event is free and no ticket required. Registration helps us plan for attendance and we can update registered participants of inclement weather changes.

Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2022-10-10 20:00 - 22:00 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours, educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

[POSTPONED] Skywatching: Little River Regional Park
2022-11-11 18:00 - 20:00
Due to expected rainy weather conditions, this event has been postponed. Please join us for December’s Skywatching: Geminid Meteor Showers.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center invites you to a free skywatching event at Little River Regional Park (weather permitting). Morehead educators and CHAOS members (from Chapel Hill Astronomical & Observational Society) will bring telescopes and guide you through fun observations of stars, planets, moons, nebulae and other celestial objects. Be sure to call the park office after 4pm for cloud/cancellation updates: 919-732-5505. Meet at the Play Meadow. All ages welcomed. Due to the fragile viewing equipment, please no dogs.

If you’re interested in finding out more about skywatching sessions with Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, check out this link: https://moreheadplanetarium.org/skywatching-faqs/

Skywatching: Geminid Showers
2022-12-13 20:00 - 22:00 | Little River Regional Park, 301 Little River Park Way, Rougemont, North Carolina, 27572, United States
One of the best meteor showers of the year – the Geminid meteor shower — will next peak on Tuesday, December 13, 2022.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and Little River Regional park will host a free skywatching event.

Learn about meteors and more! For example, did you know meteors, sometimes misleadingly called “shooting stars,” are streaks of light caused by cosmic debris interacting with Earth’s atmosphere. Typically, this debris has been left by a comet. In the case of the Geminids, the source is an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon.

Follow for event updates

Skywatching: Little River Regional Park
2023-03-24 20:00 - 22:00 | Little River Regional Park
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center invites you to a free skywatching event at Little River Regional Park (weather permitting). Come see Venus close to the waxing crescent Moon, plus Mars and other celestial delights!

Morehead educators and CHAOS members (from Chapel Hill Astronomical & Observational Society) will bring telescopes and guide you through fun observations of stars, planets, moons, nebulae and other celestial objects. Be sure to call the park office after 4pm for cloud/cancellation updates: 919-732-5505. Meet at the Play Meadow. All ages welcomed. Due to the fragile viewing equipment, please no dogs.

If you’re interested in finding out more about skywatching sessions with Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, check out this link: https://moreheadplanetarium.org/skywatching-faqs/

[CANCELED] Skywatching: Dix Park
2023-05-20 21:00 - 23:00 | Dix Park, 1010 Blair Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27603, United States
This event has been canceled due to weather.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center invites you to a free skywatching event at Dix Park in downtown Raleigh (weather permitting). Come see Venus, Mars, and other celestial delights!

Morehead educators and Raleigh Astronomy Club will bring telescopes and guide you through fun observations of stars, planets, moons, nebulae, and other celestial objects.

If you’re interested in finding out more about skywatching sessions with Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, check out this link: https://moreheadplanetarium.org/skywatching-faqs/

Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2023-05-22 20:00 - 23:00, 2023-07-10 20:00 - 23:00, 2023-07-24 20:00 - 23:00, 2023-09-25 20:00 - 23:00, 2024-06-10 21:00 - 23:00 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours and educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. Music begins at 8:00 pm and stargazing begins at 9:00 pm. This skywatching event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Carolina Science Cafe | Artemis II: There and Back Again
2023-07-11 18:00 - 19:00 | Gizmo Brew Works, 157 E Franklin St #100, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Join Nick Eakes, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador and Astronomy Educator from Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, to discuss Artemis– NASA’s new lunar exploration program. For the first time in over 50 years, humanity is going to set foot on the Moon – sending the first woman and first person of color to the lunar surface.

Through the Artemis missions, NASA will implement new technology to study our closest neighbor in new and better ways, with the ultimate goal of preparing for future human missions to Mars. Nick will provide the history and context of the Artemis program as well as updates on where we are in the mission timeline.

Nick Eakes has been an informal science educator at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center (MPSC) since 2008. Nick is a proud product of Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools and went on to receive his BA in Psychology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012. Along with actively presenting astronomy programs in the planetarium, Nick designs curriculum, travels the state with the NC Science Festival, and is currently the coordinator of Morehead’s astronomy outreach programs – including the Mobile Planetarium and Skywatching.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Gizmo Brew Works on Tuesday, July 11th, starting at 6:00 p.m.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Skywatching: Perseid Meteor Shower at Dix Park
2023-08-12 21:00 - 23:00 | Dix Park, 1010 Blair Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27603, United States
Join staff and volunteers from the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and Raleigh Astronomy Club in viewing the Perseid Meteor Shower at Dix Park on its peak night!

All you need to view meteors are your eyes, but we’ll also have telescopes for you to view other celestial delights, such as double stars, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. Bring a blanket or chairs and some snacks so you can relax under the stars.

This is an informal session, so you can arrive and leave at any time during the program. However, if you plan to attend, please register so that we can send you any additional information or an inclement weather notice.

Please leave all pets at home, even those on a leash. Darkness, lots of people, expensive telescopes, and pets on leashes are a bad combination. Pets will not be permitted near the telescopes.

Register

Registration: This event is free and no ticket is required. Registration helps us plan for attendance and we can update registered participants of inclement weather changes.

[CANCELED] Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2023-08-28 20:00 - 23:00 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
This event has been canceled due to weather.

Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours and educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. Music begins at 8:00 pm and stargazing begins at 9:00 pm. This skywatching event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2023-10-16 18:30 - 21:30 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours and educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. Music begins at 6:30 pm and stargazing begins at 7:30 pm. This skywatching event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Skywatching at Little River Regional Park
2023-12-13 20:00 - 22:00 | Little River Regional Park, 301 Little River Park Way, Rougemont, North Carolina, 27572, United States
Join us from 8 to 10 p.m. at Little River Regional Park on December 13! With the guidance of a Morehead educator and members of Chapel Hill Astronomy and Observing Society (CHAOS), you’ll have the chance to view the sky via telescope, engage in hands-on astronomy activities, and take a laser-guided “star tour” of the night sky. There may also be an opportunity to see meteors from the Geminid meteor shower.

When joining us at this free event, we ask that you leave pets at home and, if you plan to hang out, bring chairs or blankets. Please note that weather can affect this event. Stay up-to-date via social media.

Find additional resources and FAQs on our Stargazing page.

Skywatching: Views from The Durham
2024-05-13 20:30 - 22:30 | The Durham Hotel, 315 E. Chapel Hill St, Durham, North Carolina, 27701, United States
Join us on the roof of The Durham Hotel for a series of telescopic stargazing nights. Stop by for guided constellation tours and educational activities, all while enjoying music from DJ Mic Check. Music begins at 8:00 p.m. and stargazing begins at 8:30 p.m. This skywatching event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.
