Learn why NASA sent its astronauts to Morehead Planetarium to learn about stars. Permanent exhibits are open during regular hours, special exhibits are open on the weekends, and additional hours during the summer schedule. Admission to all exhibits is free.
More than 60 astronauts have trained in celestial navigation at MPSC - including 11 of the 12 men who walked on the Moon! Learn about the history of Morehead through photos and artifacts used by the astronauts who trained here.
Highway of the Planets
Joseph Caldwell, first president of the UNC and professor of mathematics, was a dedicated astronomer. His devotion to the study of the night sky laid the foundation for astronomy at UNC.
Where American astronauts first met the stars...
After nearly a century without observational teaching of astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill, a generous gift from John Motley Morehead III allowed for the creation of UNC's Morehead Planetarium. As the first planetarium in the South and the only one on a university campus, Morehead would eventually receive the distinct privilege of training more than 60 NASA astronauts between 1959 and 1975.