ASTRONOMY

 

Contentnea Creek has dark skies and is an excellent place to do some stargazing. You can see the Milky Way! NCMNS Contentnea Creek also features a digital planetarium and public observatory. The planetarium is currently available for small private groups of up to 10 people. Even if it’s cloudy out you can explore the wonders of the night sky in the planetarium. Please email Brian Baker, brian.baker@naturalsciences.org for more information.

Chia-yu Li Planetarium

The Museum’s Contentnea Creek location features the Chia-Yu Li Planetarium. A 35-foot geodesic dome powered by a Digitarium Zeta Digital Planetarium System.

A planetarium is a special kind of theater where the ceiling is the screen. A planetarium creates a real time image of the sky under perfect viewing conditions. This means that even if it is cloudy outside or if it is the middle of the day, we can still look up and see the stars in the planetarium.

Planetarium Shows

The Chia-yu Li Planetarium is avialabe for groups and field trips. The planetarium is open to the public for Starry Night.

The planetarium features live night sky tours and short film documentaries that explore topics across space and science in visually stunning ways.

 

TWO SMALL PIECES OF GLASS

Traces the history of the telescope from Galileo’s modifications to a spyglass, to the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy. It explores the wonder and discovery made by astronomers throughout the last 400 years.

HOT AND ENERGETIC UNIVERSE

Explore how high-energy astrophysics plays a key role in understanding the hot and violent nature of the universe. You will be taken on a journey through our own galaxy, revealing the hidden nature of neutron stars, supernova remnants, and stars like our Sun.

FROM THE EARTH TO THE UNIVERSE

This stunning, 30-minute voyage through space and time conveys the Universe revealed to us by science. Viewers can revel in the splendor of the worlds in the Solar System, the colorful birthplaces of stars, the immensity of a myriad galaxies. 

The Kitty and Max Joyner Observatory

The Kitty and Max Joyner Observatory features a 16-inch diameter Meade LX200 on a Paramount MX+. Long story short, this thing is big, powerful, and cool! The telescope is primarily used at night to get incredible views of the Moon, the planets of our solar system, and countless deep space wonders.

An observatory is a special building with a telescope inside it. Observatories are used to study or observe events that happen in space. Observatories often have a dome shaped ceiling with a door or shutter on it. When the shutter door is open the telescopes can look up at the sky. The whole ceiling of an observatory dome can spin around allowing the telescope to look in any direction. 

STARRY NIGHT TICKETS

The Kitty and Max Joyner Observatory is open to the public during Starry Night!

Learn the Constellations

Each Starry Night you will be taken on an adventure across the night sky. During your tour you will learn about the seasonal constellations in the night sky.

Deep Space Objects

In the darkest places of the night sky, you will find some of the most incredible objects. Each season has its own unique treasure trove of nebulas and clusters.

The Planets

The planets of our solar system are one of the most exciting things to view through a telescope. They are always on the move, but we will always find them during stary Night.

Mobile Planetarium

NCMNS Greenville and Contentnea Creek proudly offers a mobile planetarium for use by schools, clubs, camps, and community centers throughout Eastern North Carolina. Our mobile planetarium features a state-of-the-art digital projection system allowing you to skim through the rings of Saturn and travel to the stars!

Contact us to book your astronomy event

729 Dickinson Avenue | Greenville, NC 27834 | 252.364.2862

The NC Museum of Natural Sciences is a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources