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Media representatives are invited to experience the virtual night sky in an immersive fulldome digital video portable planetarium, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, when it visits local students.

Note: Because it is necessary to maintain a “night sky” level of darkness within the planetarium dome, flash photographs may be taken only before or after the planetarium program.

Onslow County
Richlands Primary School
7444 Richlands Highway, Richlands
Wednesday (May 16) and Thursday (May 17)
10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 1:45 p.m.
In the multimedia planetarium show “Magic Tree House Space Mission,” students follow Jack and Annie, the main characters from the “Magic Tree House” series of children’s books, on a quest to solve a mysterious riddle about space. During their journey, they meet an astronomer, an astronaut and an author who help them find a solution.

Richlands Elementary School
110 E. Foy St., Richlands
Tuesday (May 22), Wednesday (May 23)
9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.
Thursday (May 24)
9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon
In the multimedia planetarium show “Solar System Odyssey,” students follow astronaut Jack Larson on a mission to discover a new home for humans to colonize. This character-driven adventure is set in the future, in a time when humans have depleted the resources of their home planet.

The PLANETS (Portable Learning for All North Carolina’s Elementary Teachers and Students) Portable Planetarium Program is a science education outreach effort of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.

PLANETS delivers a traditional planetarium experience directly to elementary schools across North Carolina.  PLANETS planetarium shows and classroom activities are standards-based and interdisciplinary so teachers can take full advantage of this unique science experience.  The PLANETS dome stretches 20 feet in diameter and uses cutting-edge digital technology to reach students who may not otherwise encounter Morehead’s informal science education.

The PLANETS program was created in 2009 and receives support from N.C. Space Grant, with additional funding from the Chatham Foundation and the University of North Carolina Provost Office.

PLANETS website: www.moreheadplanetarium.org/go/PLANETS
Morehead media contact: Karen Kornegay, (919) 843-7952, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
News Services contact: Susan Hudson, (919) 962-8415, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it