Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Supermassive Black Holes
2026-02-06 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-01-30 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-01-23 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)

Yoga Under The Stars
2026-02-04 18:00 - 19:00

Carolina Science Cafe: The Big Bang
2026-02-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Reaching back to the Big Bang from one of the highest places on Earth

Scientists are pushing to the most extreme observing sites in the world to study the universe’s most ancient light. New telescopes and cameras harness cryogenic cooling power to deploy pixels chilled to near absolute zero to study the remnants of the Big Bang. During February’s Carolina Science Cafe, Dr. Eve Vavagiakis will introduce the cosmic microwave background and shine some light on how we use the universe as a laboratory for fundamental physics. In addition, she will discuss exciting new telescopes and what it’s like to deploy cutting-edge technologies on ancient stratovolcanoes in the Chilean Atacama Desert.

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

Dr. Eve Vavagiakis (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at Duke University and a previous postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University. In her spare time, she enjoys anything active and outdoors, especially climbing mountains, even when there aren’t telescopes on top.

See the speaker’s work

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!

[CANCELLED] Carolina Skies
2026-02-01 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-01-31 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-01-25 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-01-24 16:30 - 17:30

[CANCELLED] The Longest Night: A Winter's Tale
2026-02-01 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-01-31 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-01-25 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-01-24 13:30 - 14:30

[CANCELLED] Solar System Odyssey
2026-02-01 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-01-25 13:30 - 14:30

[CANCELLED] Messengers of Time & Space
2026-01-31 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-01-24 15:00 - 16:00

[CANCELLED] Mars: The Ultimate Voyage
2026-01-31 12:00 - 13:00

[CANCELLED] Magic Tree House Space Mission
2026-01-31 10:30 - 11:30, 2026-01-24 10:30 - 11:30

Teen Science Cafe: Food & Microbiomes
2026-01-30 18:00 - 19:30 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
Food & Microbiomes with Dr. Erin McKenney

Please join us at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for January’s Teen Science Cafe! This month, we welcome Dr. Erin McKenney, who will be sharing her work on food and gut microbiomes in both animals and humans.

Open to teens ages 13-18, our monthly cafes include exciting activities, engaging talks from expert speakers, and even free food! Plus, we cover a variety of different topics, ranging from cell biology to deep space galaxies, making it a one-of-a-kind spot for high school students to explore new ideas, interact with each other, and have fun!Doors will open at 6:00 pm for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:30 pm and wrap up around 7:30 pm.

Learn more about Teen Science Cafe

About Dr. McKenney

Dr. Erin McKenney is an assistant professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs at North Carolina State University. She studies how microbial communities form over time and how they adapt to their environments. Her research incorporates microbial ecology, nutrition, and comparative gut morphology to learn how gut microbes affect health – and how humans can leverage or upset that balance. For over a decade, Dr. McKenney has investigated evolutionary adaptation across different scales and species, between non-human primates and carnivores and their gut microbes. More recently, she has expanded her research to sourdough and other fermented foods that can be studied without laboratory equipment, using citizen science research to empower students of all ages and all over the world.

Program Schedule

6:00 pm: Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

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

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Discussion & activities. Trivia will take place in the Science Stage.

Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

One Sky, Many Eyes
2026-01-30 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-01-23 16:30 - 17:30

[CANCELLED] Supermassive Black Holes
2026-01-24 12:00 - 13:00

Carolina Skies
2026-01-18 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-01-17 16:30 - 17:30

The Longest Night: A Winter's Tale
2026-01-18 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-01-17 13:30 - 14:30

Solar System Odyssey
2026-01-18 13:30 - 14:30

Messengers of Time & Space
2026-01-17 15:00 - 16:00
