Astronomy Days at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Jan 26-27

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is presenting a free 2-day program, Astronomy Days, Saturday, January 26th, and Sunday, January 27th, 2019, at the downtown Raleigh location, 11 West Jones Street.

The event will take place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The museum will partner with NASA and the Raleigh Astronomy Club for this event. The theme this year is “From Apollo to the Future.”

Take part in comet crafts and solar observing. Follow the above link for complete, updated information. A list of presentations will be available soon.

Photo: Karen Swain/NCMNS

Here’s some of what’s going on:

Exhibits and Activities at Astronomy Days at NC Museum of Natural Sciences

Age, Weight & Jumping on Other Planets
Raleigh Astronomy Club
How old are you in Martian years? How much would you weigh on Venus? How high could you jump if you were on Pluto? Find out the answers to these questions and many more at the “Age, Weight & Jumping on Other Planets” exhibit.

Animals of the Constellations
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Have you ever wondered how the constellations got their names? There are 88 constellations in the sky and many of them are named after animals! Come meet some of these critters and learn about the mythology and natural history of the animals, as well as how constellations provide a map of the night sky.

Astronomy with Binoculars
Raleigh Astronomy Club
View a display of low-cost astronomy equipment for astrophotography.

Astronomy Days T-shirt Sales
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Purchase this year’s shirt with its awesome new design!

Astrophotography
Raleigh Astronomy Club
Come view excellent examples of astronomy photos taken by members of the Raleigh Astronomy Club. Examples of astrophotography gear will be exhibited and members will be available to discuss techniques and processes.

Blast Off! Rockets
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Create a rocket masterpiece and bring it outside to shoot it into the sky!

Bring Back the Night Sky
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Light pollution affects all of us on the planet, from astronomers to sea turtles. Find out about this environmental issue and what you can do to help bring back the night sky!

Photo: Matt Zeher/NCMNS

Constellation Exploration
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Learn about the history and uses of constellations and then use a flashlight to head out into “space” to track down some constellations right here in the Museum!

Dry Ice Comets
NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Micro World Investigate Lab
Watch astronomers use everyday supplies to make an out-of-this-world comet. Learn a little about the history of comets and their importance to life here on Earth. Demos will be 11:30am and 2:30pm on Saturday and 3pm on Sunday.

Exoplanets
Raleigh Astronomy Club
Learn about the methods used for detecting Exoplanets and see some models of Exoplanets. We’ll use our own version of the Kepler Space Telescope, a Lego orrery and artificial star to demonstrate the transit method of detecting Exoplanets. Visitors can also learn about the Drake Equation and input their own variables to see how many other communicating civilizations are in our galaxy. We’ll also have a video illustrating the Fermi Paradox.

How Craters Are Formed
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Learn the “hole” story! From the surface of Earth, to the Moon and other celestial bodies, discover the origin, speech and size of the meteors that caused these impressive pockmarks throughout the universe!

Lunar Landers and Mars Rovers Maker Station
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Can you create an amazing robot or spaceship from found materials? Try your hand at creating your own special machine or recreate a model of the lunar lander or Mars rover!

Meet the Raleigh Astronomy Club and Ask the Astronomer
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Meet Raleigh Astronomy Club members, learn about how the club supports astronomy in the greater Raleigh area, check out upcoming events and check out the Ask an Astronomy booth. An interactive Speed of Light exhibit will also be on display.

Men on the Moon
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Twelve men have walked on the Moon. Learn about their adventures and the Apollo missions between 1969 and 1972 — the last manned space flights beyond low earth orbit.

Moonbear’s Shadow
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Adhere to the laws of space and time by participating in this hands-on activity designed primarily for young visitors and their families. Participants move a flashlight around an object to make and experiment with shadows. The activity also has connections to the geometry of a solar eclipse as the Moon and Sun cast a shadow onto Earth.

Pocket Solar System and Orbiting Objects
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
There is a lot of space in our solar system — come learn about planets, moons and other objects and how gravity influences their orbits!

Scale of the Universe
Raleigh Astronomy Club
This interactive exhibit created by two high-school aged brothers will allow you explore the scale of our universe from the smallest theoretical scales (the Planck length at 10-33 meters) to the largest distances of the observable universe (1028 meters) and everything in between.

Solar Observing
Raleigh Astronomy Club
Safely look at the Sun through telescopes from Raleigh Astronomy Club members (weather permitting).

The Sun and its Rays
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Come learn about why ultraviolet (UV) light makes your skin darker and craft a bracelet that has a special surprise when you expose it to sunlight!

Sun, Earth and Moon Craft
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Bring the kids and learn about the relationship among the Sun, the Earth and the Moon! You will learn about solar eclipses, lunar eclipses and how these three amazing celestial objects relate to and affect one another.

Telescopes on Display
Raleigh Astronomy Club
Come look at views of the Moon and planets (actually hi-res photos hung up high in the Museum atrium) through member-owned telescopes. Accept the “challenge at the eyepiece” to locate specific features on the Moon. See different types of telescopes at work.