Children and adults who enjoy learning about space, stars, and the sky will love casual stargazing in the Outer Banks. The skies on the beaches are beautiful and clear- you'll be able to see tons of twinkling stars! If you happen to visit the Outer Banks in February, then you can engage in professional astronomy at a special event.
Starry Nights on Hatteras Island is a free community event sponsored by Hatteras Village Civic Association. On February 12, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center from UNC Chapel Hill will bring a mobile planetarium theater, hands-on science activities, and telescopes to Hatteras for scientist-led activities. Kids and adults alike will enjoy learning about space with this day full of STEM-based fun.
Visitors can enjoy:
PLANETARIUM MOVIE SHOWINGS: 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM, 4:30 PM
Inside the mobile planetarium we will be showing “Astronaut” narrated by Ewan McGregor and produced by the National Space Center. Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut!
SCIENCE ON YOUR STREET ACTIVITIES: 2:00 – 5:00 PM
A Morehead educator will guide you through a unique activity that will explore STEM fields such as chemistry and physics, as well as coding and engineering design. Hands-on experiences will encourage your group to discover STEM through the power of curiosity.
LIVE TELESCOPE VIEWING: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Morehead educators bring telescopes and guide you through fun observations of stars, planets, moons, nebulae and other celestial objects. You might even see a few meteors! *This activity is dependent on clear skies, a live sky show inside the planetarium will be offered if its too cloudy outside.
Event descriptions from https://www.outerbanks.org/event/starry-nights-on-hatteras-island/1113/
Unable to attend this February event? You can still participate in other ways! Starry Nights at Hatteras offers at-home starry nights kits, which will be available for pick-up the beginning of April and will be full of hands-on activities; virtual activities on Zoom; and star gazing activities that you can engage in on any local beach! Check out all of the options on the event website and facebook page, or contact Alana Harrison at alanaharrison22@gmail.com
