July 20th, 2019, marks the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing. Celebrate at special events in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.
There are several ways to celebrate Apollo 11 and the moon landing in the Triangle, including festivals, a look behind the scenes in an astrophysics lab, a special planetarium show, stepping inside a replica of Neil Armstrong’s space suite, free Moonberry Pancakes, Moon Pies, meeting with NASA ambassadors and more.
Make sure to follow all the links to get the necessary details on the events, most of which are free to attend.
Scroll down to learn about Chapel Hill’s connection to Apollo 11.
Also, scroll down for my favorite song about Apollo 11, which is not about Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin.
You might also be interested in:
One Giant Leap Festival
One Giant Leap Festival at North Carolina Museum of History
Saturday, July 20th, 2019
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
North Carolina Museum of History, 5 E Edenton Street, Raleigh
Free
Celebrate at this big festival inside the museum and outside, in Bicentennial Plaza. There will be speakers, solar observing, a bungee jump station, Apollo 11 virtual reality and much more.
Man on the Moon Celebration
Man on the Moon Celebration at Morgan Imports
Saturday, July 20th, 2019
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Morgan Imports
113 S. Gregson Street, Durham
Free
Fun festival where you can step inside a replica of Neil Armstrong’s space suit for a photo op. Plus, crater toss game, face painting, “plant the flag,” Moon Pies, Tang, more. Also in the Brightleaf District, get free Moonberry Pancakes at Durham Roots Farmer’s Market from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
One Giant Leap Night Time Event
One Giant Leap: 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Event at West Point on the Eno
Saturday, July 20th, 2019
9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
West Point on the Eno Environmental Education Pavilion
5253 N. Roxboro Street
Free
Meet with NASA ambassadors and other local experts to learn about what it took to get to the moon. Take in the view of the night sky from the meadow. Children are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult.
Moon Exploration at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Lab Open House: Explore Apollo Landing Sites
Saturday, July 20th, 2019
12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Science’s Nature Research Center
121 West Jones Street, Raleigh
Free
The Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab will be open from noon to 4 p.m., demonstrating the use of new software called OpenSpace to view Apollo landing sites on the Moon. There will be interactive tours of lunar terrain where samples were collected by Apollo astronauts. There will also be demos of how you can explore the Universe with this new, open-source software.
Special Tour of the Moon
Thursday, July 18th, 2019
3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Science’s Nature Research Center
121 West 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.
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.
This presentation 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.
One Giant Leap Party at Barley Labs
One Giant Leap Party at Barley Labs
Friday, July 19th, 2019
5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Barley Labs
4015 University Drive, Durham
Free
Barley Labs is a dog-friendly taproom, and bottle and gift shop. They feature dog treats and products as well as beer for humans. At the One Giant Leap Party, try a special “Moon Landing Mini Flight” and participate in the Giant Leap Contest at 7:15 p.m.
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
Carolina Skies: Lunar Landing Edition
Friday, July 19th, 2019
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
$8.25 for adult tickets
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, Carolina Skies shows in Summer 2019 will additionally feature some highlights of the mission and how astronauts from the Apollo program were trained in celestial navigation right here at Morehead.
Between 1959 and 1975, nearly every astronaut who participated in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programs trained at Morehead.
Following the show, there will be a special event. UNC graduate Anthony Mitchell acquired, through a family estate auction, a Morehead Planetarium Medial given to Neil Armstrong. He is loaning this commemorative coin to the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Following the planetarium show, there will be an event honoring the loan. If you can’t make it to the planetarium show on Friday, catch it at a different time this summer. Here’s the calendar.
