Seeing the Universe

The 2020 North Carolina Science Festival will feature the Statewide Star Party as a signature event, thanks to support from the North Carolina Space Grant.

During the 8th annual Statewide Star Party, 36 hosts will offer public skywatching sessions across North Carolina on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, 2020. Star Party hosts include astronomy clubs, state and local parks, universities, planetariums, science centers, nature centers, and libraries. About 4,000 visitors and 200 STEM professionals and volunteers are expected to participate.

This year’s Star Party theme is “Seeing the Universe.” Hosts will lead hands-on activities from the Star Party kit that will help visitors understand how telescopes and light help us learn about the universe.

List of Host Organizations

County	City	Organization
Buncombe	Asheville	UNC Asheville
Cabarrus	Harrisburg	Cabarrus County Public Library
Catawba	Maiden	Catawba County Library
Chatham	Pittsboro	Chatham Community Library
Cumberland	Fayetteville	Methodist University
Dare	Nags Head	Jockey's Ridge State Park
Durham	Durham	Durham Parks and Recreation
Forsyth	Winston-Salem	Kaleideum
Guilford	Gibsonville	Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum
Guilford	Jamestown	Cline Observatory/GTCC
Jackson	Sylva	Western Carolina University
Macon	Franklin	Macon County Public Library
Mecklenburg	Charlotte	Discovery Place
Mecklenburg	Charlotte	McDowell Nature Center
Mecklenburg	Davidson	Davidson College
Nash	Nashville	Town of Nashville Parks and Recreation
New Hanover	Carolina Beach	Cape Fear Museum
Onslow	Sneads Ferry	Onslow County Museum and Environmental Education Center
Onslow	Swansboro	Hammocks Beach State Park
Orange	Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill Public Library
Orange	Durham	Duke Teaching Observatory
Orange	Hillsborough	Orange County Public Library
Orange	Rougemont	Little River Regional Park & Nature Area
Pitt	Grifton	A Time For Science: Grifton
Robeson	Lumberton	Robeson Planetarium and Science Center
Rowan	China Grove	Rowan Public Library
Rowan	Cleveland	Rowan Public Library
Stanly	Albemarle	Morrow Mountain State Park
Stokes	Danbury	Hanging Rock State Park
Surry	Pinnacle	Pilot Mountain State Park
Transylvania	Sapphire	Friends of Gorges State Park
Wake	Garner	Town of Garner
Wake	Raleigh	Triangle Land Conservancy
Wake	Raleigh	Wilkerson Nature Preserve
Wilkes	Purlear	Appalachian State University
Wilson	Wilson	Imagination Station Science and History Museum

For more information, please contact:
Amy Sayle and Hope Thomson
Coordinators, NC Statewide Star Party
Email: starparty@unc.edu 

The Statewide Star Party is made possible with the support of NC Space Grant and the NC Science Festival.

Click here for digital copies of Statewide Star Party kit materials

Illustration Credit: Tyler Nordgren