Morehead Planetarium & Science Center

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center opened in 1949 as the first planetarium on a college campus in the United States. During the 1960s and 1970s, Morehead trained 62 NASA astronauts (including 11 of the 12 men who walked on the Moon) in celestial navigation. By Morehead’s 50th anniversary in 1999, more than five million spectators – half of them schoolchildren – had visited its Star Theater to learn about the cosmos. 

Morehead expanded its mission in 2000, becoming not only a gateway to the stars, but a gateway to all the sciences. Today, its programming reflects the expanded mission to help people better understand science, technology, and health through state-of-the-art full dome planetarium shows, exhibits, camps, hands-on classes, and statewide outreach programming. Morehead's mission is to serve North Carolina and beyond by bringing together the unique resources of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to engage the public for an improved public understanding of science, technology, and health.