Skywatching Sessions

Skywatching

Under a starry night sky, enjoy:

  • telescopic views of beautiful objects, including planets, nebulae, star clusters and, of course, the Moon,
  • an informal tour of the constellations with a Morehead educator,
  • constellation myths and legends, and
  • experienced observers available to answer your questions about astronomy.

Our monthly skywatching sessions are free and open to the public! Check the "News" listing on our home page or call Guest Relations at (919) 962-1236 on the day of the skywatching session to be sure weather conditions will permit us to host this outdoor activity.

Skywatching sessions are usually on Saturday nights at Jordan Lake State Park (Ebenezer Church Recreation Area), and directions to this site are posted on this page.

If a session is at another location, such as Little River Regional Park, that location will be noted in the chart.

Date 2012 Time View (Alternate Location)
Saturday,
Jan. 28		 6–8 p.m. Venus, Moon, Jupiter
Friday,
Feb. 24		 7–9 p.m. LITTLE RIVER REGIONAL PARK
Saturday,
Feb. 25		 6:30–8:30 p.m. Venus, Moon, Jupiter, Mars
Saturday,
March 24		 CANCELED (stormy weather forecast!)
Friday,
April 20		 CANCELED (potential rain showers)
Saturday,
April 21		 CANCELED (potential rain showers)
TUESDAY,
June 5		 5:30–8:30 p.m. MOREHEAD PLANETARIUM
Transit of Venus
(last one this century!)
viewed with solar telescopes
Saturday,
June 23		 9–11 p.m. Mercury, Moon, Mars, Saturn
Saturday,
July 14		 9–11 p.m.
Saturday,
August 11		 9–11 p.m. Perseid Meteor Shower
Saturday,
September 22		 8–10 p.m. International Observe the Moon Night
Saturday,
October 20		 7–9 p.m.
Saturday,
November 17		 6–8 p.m.
THURSDAY,
December 13		 8–10 p.m. Geminid Meteor Shower
Some sky objects may not be visible
during the entire session, due to rise and set times.


Directions to Ebenezer Church Recreation Area

Directions to Little River Regional Park

Skywatching sessions are sponsored in part by:

and

CHAOS
Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society

Learn more about sky objects with Morehead's Constellation Close-up.

Learn about Morehead's skywatching sessions on WRAL-TV5 here