Media representatives are invited to experience the virtual night sky in North Carolina's first fulldome digital video portable planetarium, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, when it visits local students next week.
Media representatives are invited to experience the virtual night sky in North Carolina's first fulldome digital video portable planetarium, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, when it visits local students next week.
Note: Because it is necessary to maintain a “night sky” level of darkness within the planetarium dome, flash photographs may be taken only before or after the planetarium program.
Wayne County
Spring Creek Elementary School
1050 St. John Church Road, Goldsboro
Wednesday (Nov. 16)
12:30 p.m.
In the multimedia planetarium show “Solar System Odyssey," students follow astronaut Jack Larson on a mission to discover a new home for humans to colonize. This character-driven adventure is set in the future, in a time when humans have depleted the resources of their home planet.
1:30 p.m.
In the multimedia planetarium show “Galileo: The Power of the Telescope," students journey back in time to Pisa, Italy, to witness Galileo's earliest experiments with gravity and the laws of motion, share his greatest discoveries and experience how one man can shape the future of science.
Nash County
Bailey Elementary School
6288 Pine St., Bailey
Thursday (Nov. 17)
9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
In the multimedia planetarium show "Earth, Moon and Sun," students explore the relationship between the planet they live on, the moon that orbits it and the star that provides it with light and heat. With reference to Native American stories and legends, this show helps students understand the movement and impact of Earth’s orbit.
The PLANETS (Portable Learning for All North Carolina’s Elementary Teachers and Students) Portable Planetarium Program is a science education outreach effort of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.
PLANETS delivers a traditional planetarium experience directly to elementary schools across North Carolina. PLANETS planetarium shows and classroom activities are standards-based and interdisciplinary so teachers can take full advantage of this unique science experience. The PLANETS dome stretches 20 feet in diameter and uses cutting-edge digital technology to reach students who may not otherwise encounter Morehead’s informal science education.
The PLANETS program was created in 2009 and receives support from N.C. Space Grant, with additional funding from the Chatham Foundation and the University of North Carolina Provost Office.
PLANETS Web site: www.moreheadplanetarium.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&filename=PLANETS_overview.html
PLANETS media contact: Karen Kornegay, (919) 843-7952, kck@unc.edu
News Services contact: Susan Hudson, (919) 962-8415, susan_hudson@unc.edu