The Moon and beyond!
The 2019 North Carolina Science Festival will feature the Statewide Star Party as a signature event, thanks to generous grant support from the North Carolina Space Grant.
During this 7th annual Statewide Star Party, astronomy clubs, state and local parks, universities, planetariums, science centers, nature centers, and libraries will host public skywatching sessions at more than 50 sites across North Carolina on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, 2019. About 5,000 visitors and 200 STEM professionals and volunteers are expected to participate.
This year’s Star Party theme is “The Moon and Beyond” in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first humans to walk on the moon. Hosts will lead moon observing and hands-on activities from the Star Party kit to help visitors explore all things lunar.
Interested in learning more about our Moon and beyond? To further celebrate the anniversary of Apollo 11, many Star Party host sites will be hosting events in the month of July. Check the listings below to find an event near you.
2019 NC Statewide Star Party Locations
- Albemarle: Morrow Mountain State Park, July 13th
- Albemarle: Morrow Mountain State Park, July 14th
- Asheboro: Asheboro Public Library, TBA
- Asheville: Pack Memorial Library, July 15th
- Asheville: UNC Asheville, July 9th
- Beaufort: Carteret County Public Library, July 16th
- Boone: Appalachian State University, TBA
- Burnsville: Bare Dark Sky Observatory, July 13th
- Burnsville: Bare Dark Sky Observatory, July 20th
- Canton: Canton Public Library, July 9th, July 11th
- Chapel Hill: Chapel Hill Public Library, TBA
- Charlotte: Discovery Place Nature, July 20th
- Charlotte: McDowell Nature Center, July 22nd
- Conover: Conover Branch Library, TBA
- Creswell: Pettigrew State Park, TBA
- Danbury: Hanging Rock State Park, TBA
- Davidson: Davidson College, TBA
- Durham: Old North Durham Park, July 20th
- Farmville: Farmville Public Library, July 16th & July 31st
- Fayetteville: Cape Fear Botanical Garden, July 11th
- Fayetteville: West Regional Branch Library, July 12th
- Franklin: Macon County Public Library, TBA
- Garner: White Deer Park, July 9th
- Gastonia: Gaston Public Library, July 19th
- Gastonia: Gaston Public Library, July 20th
- Gibsonville: Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, July 15th-19th
- Greensboro: Greensboro Science Center, TBA
- Harrisburg: Harrisburg Library, July 10th
- Harrisburg: Harrisburg Library, July 17th
- Henderson: Fox Pond Park, TBA
- Hillsborough: Orange County Public Library, July 11th
- Jamestown: Guilford Technical Community College, July 12th and July 19th
- Kill Devil Hills: Jockey's Ridge State Park, July 21st
- Lillington: Harnett County Public Library, July 20th
- Lumberton: Robeson Community College, July 11th
- Mount Gilead: Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site, July 20th
- Nashville: Stoney Creek Environmental Park, July 13th
- Nebo: Lake James State Park, July 12th
- New Hill: Harris Lake County Park, July 14th
- Newland: Avery-Mitchel-Yancey Library, TBA
- Pinnacle: Pilot Mountain State Park, July 4th
- Pittsboro: Chatham Community Library, July 27th
- Raleigh: Prairie Ridge Ecostation, TBA
- Raleigh: Wilkerson Nature Preserve, July 11th
- Rockingham: Discovery Place Kids, July 20th
- Rocky Mount: Braswell Memorial Library, TBA
- Salisbury: Horizons Unlimited Planetarium and Science Center, July 20th
- Sneads Ferry: Onslow County Museum, TBA
- South Mills: Dismal Swamp State Park, July 27th
- Statesville: Lake Norman State Park, July 5th
- Sunset Beach: Ingram Planetarium, July 20th
- Swansboro: Hammocks Beach State Park, July 16th
- Sylva: Jackson County Public Library, July 20th
- Tryon: Harmon Field, TBA
- Waynesville: Waynesville Public Library, July 16th, July 17th, July 19th
- Wilkesboro: Ft Hamby Park, TBA
- Wilmington: Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, July 20th
- Wilson: Imagination Station, TBA
- Winston-Salem: Kaleideum North, TBA
Click here for Star Party kit materials
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.