Coming up at at NC Museum of Natural Sciences: Tour of the Moon, Beekeeping in the City, more

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences always offers free admission, but you might not be aware of the free and inexpensive events, beyond the exhibits, that it offers. You can view all their events here. Some are free and some have fees associated with them. Here are a few upcoming free and cheap events.

Make sure to check the location.

• Prairie Ridge Ecostation, 1671 Gold Star Drive, Raleigh
• Downtown Raleigh, 11 W. Jones Street, Raleigh
• Nature Research Center, 121 W. Jones Street, Raleigh

Also, click on the links for more details, including age ranges and registration information.

Free and cheap events at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Special Tour of the Moon
Thursday, July 18th, 2019
3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Nature Research Center, 121 W. Jones Street, Raleigh
Free

The Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab will be open so visitors can see Apollo landing sites with new software called OpenSpace. Come for an interactive tour of lunar terrain where samples were collected by Apollo astronauts. This event takes place from 3pm – 5pm. Then come to our moon-themed Science Café at 7pm to hear about new scientific discoveries gleaned from these lunar rocks!

Science Cafe: New Perspectives on the Formation of the Moon
Thursday, July 18th, 2019
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Daily Planet Cafe, 11 W. Jones Street, Raleigh
Free

New instrumentation and ideas are improving our understanding of the violent origins of the Moon.

In this presentation, we will explore new ideas motivated by new measurements from the Apollo samples. They’re changing our picture of how the Moon formed, and we’ll learn what this event tells us about the early days of the solar system in general.

There will be a Q&A session after to ask any questions about the topic.

Moths at Night
Saturday, July 20th, 2019
8 p.m. to midnight
Prairie Ridge Ecostation, 1671 Gold Star Drive, Raleigh
Free

Celebrate National Moth Week with the Museum at Prairie Ridge! Enjoy a brief orientation in the outdoor classroom, then head out to our blacklights to see what’s out and about throughout the night. Bring a flashlight, a camera (if you have one), and your moth questions. We’ll have activities for kids, Moth Bingo (with prizes!) for everyone, an activity hosted by the North Carolina Entomological Society, and a station to upload photos of the moths that we see to Natural North Carolina or other citizen science projects so that our data can help scientists learn more about the species in our area. You’ll walk away with some basic identification guides you can use for your own moth adventures!

This is a drop-in program, so you are welcome to arrive at any point during the stated times. Please come dressed for the weather and bring a flashlight as you will be making a short walk between the classroom and the parking lot that is unlighted. All ages are welcome to this program, but it is best suited to ages 8 and up. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

In the event of bad weather, please call the Prairie Ridge weather line at 919.707.8888 and select option 5 to learn if the program has been canceled/postponed.

Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Lab: Open House
Saturday, July 20th, 2019
12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Downtown Raleigh: Nature Research Center, 121 West Jones Street
Free

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing by taking a tour of the NCMNS Astronomy and Astrophysics Lab. Using a new software called OpenSpace, take an interactive tour exploring the lunar terrain where the Apollo astronauts landed! We will have demonstrations for how to use this software on your own too!

Science Cafe: Beekeeping in the City
Thursday, July 25th, 2019
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Downtown Raleigh
Free

Join NCMNS to learn about urban beekeeping. From your first bee to a functional hive, we’ll teach you what it takes to get started and stay successful while bee-ing ethical and neighborly! Urban beekeeping poses several unique challenges that need to be considered and mitigated. This Science Café will empower you with an informed start and show how keeping these beneficial insects can be rewarding.