Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

One Sky, Many Eyes
2024-01-21 16:30 - 17:30, 2024-01-14 16:30 - 17:30, 2024-01-07 16:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York)

The Longest Night: A Winter's Tale
2024-01-21 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-20 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-14 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-13 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-07 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-06 15:00 - 16:00

We Are Stars
2024-01-21 13:30 - 14:30, 2024-01-14 13:30 - 14:30, 2024-01-07 13:30 - 14:30

Carolina Skies
2024-01-20 16:30 - 17:30, 2024-01-19 16:30 - 17:30, 2024-01-13 16:30 - 17:30, 2024-01-12 16:30 - 17:30, 2024-01-06 16:30 - 17:30

Forward! To the Moon
2024-01-20 13:30 - 14:30, 2024-01-13 13:30 - 14:30, 2024-01-06 13:30 - 14:30

Star Families: Winter Skies
2024-01-20 12:00 - 13:00

Magic Tree House Space Mission
2024-01-20 10:30 - 11:30, 2024-01-13 10:30 - 11:30

Teen Science Cafe | Water Quality
2024-01-19 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Science Stage, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Protecting underserved populations from lead and toxic metals in drinking-water.

Please join us at Morehead Planetarium on Friday, January 19th for a very exciting Teen Science Cafe! For this month we will be joined by Dr. Michael Fisher from the UNC Water Institute to dive into the topic of water quality and community science.

The western doors up the big stairs will open at 5:30 for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:00 and wrap up around 7:00.

Lead is a potent neurotoxin that harms human health with disproportionate impacts on infants, developing fetuses, and vulnerable populations. As lead in gasoline, paint, and food has been progressively brought under greater control in recent decades, water remains an increasingly important exposure route.

This route is particularly important in private wells in the US, as well as in a variety of water system types in many low- and middle-income country settings worldwide. Recent work by researchers at UNC and their collaborators seeks to generate evidence to inform progress on lead-free drinking water in the US and worldwide, in alignment with 2030 sustainable development goals.

Meet Our Speaker

Dr. Fisher develops, evaluates, and applies technologies and methods for addressing under-recognized health concerns in water and sanitation, both in the US and internationally. This work focuses on three areas: 1) monitoring and evaluation of water and sanitation processes, infrastructure, and service delivery; 2) improving water and wastewater treatment; and 3) applications of implementation science and quality improvement methods to improving the performance of water and sanitation systems.

Program Schedule

5:30 pm – Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Pizza social. Pizza social will take place in our classrooms, located on the 2nd floor.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Discussion & activities. Presentations will take place at the Science Stage located on the 1st floor.

*Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Mars: The Ultimate Voyage
2024-01-19 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-12 15:00 - 16:00

Quantum Computing in Your Future | Carolina Science Cafe
2024-01-16 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Join us for our next instalment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For this month, we will be joined by Dr. Dan Stancil from NC State to discuss the future of quantum computing. This event has been rescheduled due to previous inclement weather and will now take place on Tuesday, January 16th.

Please note the Carolina Science Cafe has moved to Haw River Tap & Table in Carrboro next to Cat’s Cradle.

Refrigeration coils keep the quantum computer at sub zero temperatures. IBM Q Dilution Refrigerator (Credit: Graham Carlow)

Quantum Computing is an approach that uses the unusual quantum mechanical properties of the microscopic world to potentially solve computational problems that have never before been feasible, and to significantly accelerate others.

The talk will include an introduction to quantum computing, global trends and an anticipated technology timeline, and an overview of some promising application areas. An overview will also be given of the IBM Quantum Innovation Center at NC State and its activities.

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 Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, January 16th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

About Dan:

Daniel D. Stancil is the Alcoa Distinguished Professor and Executive Director of the IBM Quantum Innovation Center at NC State. His early interest in radios and electronics launched an engineering career that has been–and continues to be–fun and rewarding. Along the way he picked up engineering degrees from Tennessee Tech (B.S.E.E.) and MIT (M.S., E.E. and Ph.D.). He has spent many years as a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at both Carnegie Mellon University and NC State. He was Head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at North Carolina State University from 2009-2023.

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!

Take Flight
2024-01-13 12:00 - 13:00

Astronomy Workshop - Advanced Training
2024-01-12 18:00 - 20:30

Astronaut
2024-01-06 12:00 - 13:00
