Magic Tree House Space Mission
2026-03-21 10:30 - 11:30, 2026-03-28 10:30 - 11:30, 2026-04-04 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York)

Star Families: The Moon
2026-03-21 12:00 - 13:00

Astronaut
2026-03-21 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-03-28 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-04-04 13:30 - 14:30

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage
2026-03-21 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-28 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-04 15:00 - 16:00

Carolina Skies
2026-03-21 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-03-22 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-03-28 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-03-29 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-04-04 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-04-05 16:30 - 17:30

We Are Stars
2026-03-22 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-03-29 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-04-05 13:30 - 14:30

Supermassive Black Holes
2026-03-22 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-29 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-05 15:00 - 16:00

Messengers of Time & Space
2026-03-27 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-10 15:00 - 16:00

One Sky, Many Eyes
2026-03-27 16:30 - 17:30

Cosmic Colors
2026-03-28 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-04-04 12:00 - 13:00

Artemis II Viewing Event
2026-04-01 18:00 - 20:30 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
(Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

To the Moon with NASA’s Artemis II

Astronauts are preparing to return to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years! As part of the Artemis II mission, crewmembers Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, and North Carolina-raised Christina Koch are set to embark on a 10-day journey around the Moon with a target launch date of April 1, 2026.

To celebrate, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will host a special Artemis II launch viewing event before Starry Nights: Spring Skies, our special planetarium show for teen and adult learners. Exclusive to Starry Nights ticketholders, this special event is available at no additional charge and is subject to change due to weather and safety at the launch site.

Get Starry Nights tickets

Know Before You Go

NASA may postpone the Artemis II launch due to adverse weather conditions and safety concerns, which could result in the cancellation of the Morehead viewing event. The launch window opens on April 1, 2026, at 6:24 p.m. EDT, at which the launch can occur anytime within the next two hours. Learn more about NASA’s April mission availability.

In the event that the launch overlaps with the start of Starry Nights: Spring Skies (scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. on April 1, 2026), we will finish cheering on the Artemis II before heading to the fulldome theater for the planetarium show.

The Artemis II viewing event at Morehead Planetarium is subject to change based on updates to the official launch schedule. In the event of a postponed launch, Starry Nights: Spring Skies will proceed as scheduled at 7 p.m.

Enjoy this video of Artemis II’s Christina Koch from Morehead’s 75th anniversary (2024).

Starry Nights: Spring SKies
2026-04-01 19:00 - 20:30

Carolina Science Cafe: Science Under Pressure
2026-04-07 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
(Megan Mendenhall / Office of Research Communications)

Science Under Pressure: What’s at Stake for Research at Carolina

UNC-Chapel Hill generates over $1 billion in research annually with discoveries that shape medicine, technology, and public health across North Carolina and beyond. However, the federal landscape that funds this work is shifting fast. Join UNC’s Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. Penny Gordon-Larsen, for an inside look at what Carolina scientists are building, what’s at stake in Washington, and why it matters to all of us.

Designed for adults, Carolina Science Cafe is a free program that explores science topics making national and international headlines, offering the chance to meet the experts behind the work. This special program is hosted at Haw River Tap & Table in Carrboro on the first Tuesday of every month. Light appetizers are available for all attendees.

About the Speaker

Penny Gordon-Larsen, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research and William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor in Nutrition

(Megan Mendenhall / Office of Research Communications)

As vice chancellor for research, Gordon-Larsen develops, sets strategic direction, and provides support for UNC’s $1.5 billion research enterprise. She is responsible for research infrastructure, operations, and regulatory compliance, research development, translation, and communications, as well as strategic research partnerships. In addition, she oversees 13 pan-campus, interdisciplinary research centers and institutes. She works across campus with the University’s research deans, center/ institute directors, and key institutional leaders to strategically advance Carolina’s research enterprise. She is an obesity researcher and has served as principal investigator on research projects totaling over $23.6 million and has served as a co-investigator on an additional $49.1M interdisciplinary research team projects with collaborators. Her NIH-funded research portfolio ranges from molecular and genetic to environmental and societal-level factors that influence health and obesity and its cardiometabolic consequences.

Gordon-Larsen served as president of The Obesity Society in 2015 and a member of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council from 2020 to 2023. She also served on the 2020–2030 Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research Thought Leaders Panel, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Strategic Plan Working Group, and the NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Integration Working Group. She is on the Executive Committees for Research of the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and is currently serving on the Joint Associations Group (JAG) on Indirect Costs, a coalition of national organizations representing academic, medical, and independent research institutions.

More about UNC Research

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!
