Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

360° Video Premiere: One Giant Leap Short
2020-05-29 10:00 - 10:30 (America/New_York)
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 “giant leap”.

Please note the length of this video is just under 6 minutes.

Instructions

Use your mouse and touchpad on your computer to click and drag inside the video. You can also move your phone from left to right or right to left to view the video in all different angles. (*This show can also be viewed using any VR headset or Google Cardboard.)

Teen Science Cafe: Everyday Biomechanics +Bioengineering
2020-05-28 17:00 - 18:00
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 us for this virtual Teen Science Cafe with Sandra Strangeland-Molo who will talk about biomechanics in everyday life, as well as her research in bone tissue engineering.

About Sandra: Sandra is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill and researches biomechanics and bone tissue engineering. Her examines how strokes alter bone composition, as well as, fabricating synthetic bone grafts.

*Please Note: The Zoom link will not be live until 5:00 p.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 5:00 p.m. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: Training astronauts in North Carolina
2020-05-28 10:00 - 10:30
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 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. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: Greek Myths & the Spring Sky
2020-05-26 10:00 - 10:30
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 Hercules is the reason the stars of Cancer the Crab are so dim.

*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. and try again.

360° Video Premiere: Jeepers Creepers Short
2020-05-22 10:00 - 10:30
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, slithering insects. Can you identify any of them?

*This fulldome 3 minute short is not recommended for the easily bugged out.*

Please note the length of this video is about 2.5 minutes.

Instructions

Use your mouse and touchpad on your computer to click and drag inside the video. You can also move your phone from left to right or right to left to view the video in all different angles. (*This show can also be viewed using any VR headset or Google Cardboard.)

Virtual Teen Science Cafe: Women in Engineering Leadership
2020-05-21 17:00 - 18:00
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 Manager with Siemens in Wendell, North Carolina. Kendra received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a M.S. in Engineering Management. In her role, she manages an Electrical Design Team and specializes in Teaching Simple Circuits and Power Distribution.

*Please Note: The Zoom link will not be live until 5:00 p.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 5:00 p.m. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: The Sky is a Time Machine
2020-05-21 10:00 - 10:30
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 a.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 10:00 a.m. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: Pluto
2020-05-19 10:00 - 10:30
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 you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 10:00 a.m. and try again.

360° Video Premiere: Tales of the American South
2020-05-15 10:00 - 10:30
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.

Instructions

Use your mouse and touchpad on your computer to click and drag inside the video. You can also move your phone from left to right or right to left to view the video in all different angles. (*This show can also be viewed using any VR headset or Google Cardboard.)

Virtual Teen Science Cafe: So You Think It's Your Chance?
2020-05-14 17:00 - 18:00
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 your high school and college educational paths, and in solid preparation for post-graduation success as an adult.

About Linwood: Linwood Webster, an Academic Advisor at UNC Chapel Hill for over 16 years, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in Academic Advising, College Counseling, and Career Coaching. With over 24 years of higher education educational experiences, Linwood possesses a B.A. in English-Media/Journalism from N. C. Central University, a Master’s Degree in Information Science (M.S.I.S.) from UNC Chapel Hill, and Master’s degree (M.Ed.) in Counseling, clinical mental health, from N.C. State University.

MAH | Skywatching: See the International Space Station
2020-05-14 10:00 - 10:30
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. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: May Carolina Skies
2020-05-12 10:00 - 10:30
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 not be live until 10:00 a.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 10:00 a.m. and try again.

360° Video Premiere: The Longest Night
2020-05-08 10:00 - 10:30
“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 of nomadic storytellers, embarks on a simple quest that leads her to a dragon’s nest. What will she discover there, and how will it help her save her village?

Read more about this original production here.

Instructions

Use your mouse and touchpad on your computer to click and drag inside the video. You can also move your phone from left to right or right to left to view the video in all different angles. (*This show can also be viewed using any VR headset or Google Cardboard.)

Virtual Teen Science Cafe: Oceans & Climate
2020-05-07 17:00 - 18:00
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 a B.A. in Marine Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2016. Alex is currently a second year PhD student at Duke University studying ocean biogeochemistry and the role that marine microbes play in the ocean carbon cycle.

*Please Note: The Zoom link will not be live until 5:00 p.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 5:00 p.m. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: Anyone Out There?
2020-05-07 10:00 - 10:30
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 other solar systems.

*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. and try again.

Carolina Science Cafe: The Science of Connection & Living Well During Pandemic Times
2020-05-06 18:00 - 19:00
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 of her lab discuss research into how positive emotions affect people’s thinking patterns, social behavior, health, and physiological reactions.

About Dr. Frederickson: Dr. Barbara Fredrickson is a leading scholar within social psychology, affective science (the study of emotion), and positive psychology. She has received more than 16 consecutive years of research funding from the National Institutes of Health, and her research and teaching have been recognized with numerous honors. Her online course on Positive Psychology has been attended by over 200,000 people.

Learn more about Dr. Fredrickson’s lab here: https://peplab.web.unc.edu/

Check out a short video about her research here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWnqREJFrYk&feature=youtu.be

MAH | Skywatching: Your Guide to the Moon
2020-05-05 10:00 - 10:30
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 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. and try again.

360° Video Premiere: Take Flight
2020-05-01 10:00 - 10:30
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 this show here.

Instructions

Use your mouse and touchpad on your computer to click and drag inside the video. You can also move your phone from left to right or right to left to view the video in all different angles. (*This show can also be viewed using any VR headset or Google Cardboard.)

Virtual Teen Science Cafe: Tackling Climate Change
2020-04-30 17:00 - 18:00
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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research involves computationally and experimentally exploring materials that have applications in electric vehicle batteries.

*Please Note: The Zoom link will not be live until 5:00 p.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 5:00 p.m. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: "What's Your Sign?"
2020-04-30 10:00 - 10:30
“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 lesson on astronomy, not astrology.

*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. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: Vacation Destinations in the Solar System
2020-04-28 10:00 - 10:30
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.

*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. and try again.

360° Video Premiere: Solar System Odyssey
2020-04-24 10:00 - 10:30
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.

Instructions

Use your mouse and touchpad on your computer to click and drag inside the video. You can also move your phone from left to right or right to left to view the video in all different angles. (*This show can also be viewed using any VR headset or Google Cardboard.)

Virtual Teen Science Cafe
2020-04-23 17:00 - 18:00
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 brothers play video games she doesn’t have enough hand-eye coordination to attempt.

Joanna will talk about maintaining Mental Health and Wellness while engaging in effective social distancing.

*Please Note: The Zoom link will not be live until 5:00 p.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 5:00 p.m. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: How Dark is Your Sky?
2020-04-23 10:00 - 10:30
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. Find out how you can contribute to a worldwide project to measure sky brightness by observing the constellation Leo the Lion from your own neighborhood.

*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. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching: Star Hop with the Big Dipper
2020-04-21 10:00 - 10:30
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 into the North Star.

*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. and try again.

360° Video Premiere: Earth, Moon and Sun
2020-04-17 10:00 - 10:30
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.

Instructions

Use your mouse and touchpad on your computer to click and drag inside the video. You can also move your phone from left to right or right to left to view the video in all different angles. (*This show can also be viewed using any VR headset or Google Cardboard.)

Virtual Teen Science Cafe
2020-04-16 17:00 - 18:00
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 school, Steve can be found running, strumming tunes on his ukulele, or playing some Nintendo.

Join us Thursday at 5:00 p.m. as Steve chats about the journey to and through med school. He’ll be talking a bit about what it takes to be a doctor (hint: anyone can be a doctor!) and how we can all help keep ourselves and others healthy during quarantine and beyond.

*Please Note: The Zoom link will not be live until 5:00 p.m. If you’re having trouble accessing it, please reload the page at 5:00 p.m. and try again.

MAH | Skywatching for Tonight
2020-04-16 10:00 - 10:30
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: 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. and try again.

MAH | Stellarium Tutorial
2020-04-14 10:00 - 10:45
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 can also check out our blog in case you need to reference any information in the future, which will be made available on April 14.

For your reference, Stellarium is available for use in a web browser, to download on your desktop, or to use on your mobile device.

This tutorial is recommended for grades 6 and up.

Please Note: This is not an endorsement of this product, and Morehead Planetarium & Science Center does not receive benefits from the mention of this product. Please use at your own discretion.

Virtual Teen Science Cafe
2020-04-09 17:00 - 18:30
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 just starting to be uncovered. Dr. Ilona Jaspers of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will address misconceptions about e-cigarettes, discuss e-cigarette components and potential toxicities, and summarize known health effects.
