Understanding the Universe

Thanks to generous grant support from the North Carolina Space Grant, the 2022 North Carolina Science Festival will again feature the Statewide Star Party as a signature initiative.

During this tenth annual Statewide Star Party, 35 hosts will offer public skywatching events across North Carolina on Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, 2022. Star Party hosts include state and local parks, colleges and universities, planetariums, science centers, nature centers, and libraries. About 3,500 visitors are expected to participate.

This year’s Star Party theme is “Understanding the Universe,” with a focus on science and engineering related to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Hosts are provided with a Star Party kit of hands-on activities and NASA resources on this theme.

2022 Statewide Star Party Locations

Click here to find a Statewide Star Party event near you.

County	City	Organization
Alamance	Burlington	Alamance County Public Library
Buncombe	Asheville	University of North Carolina Asheville
Buncombe	Leicester	Buncombe County Public Libraries
Cabarrus	Harrisburg	Cabarrus County Public Libraries
Carteret	Atlantic Beach	Fort Macon State Park
Cumberland	Fayetteville	Cumberland County Libraries
Dare	Manteo	NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island
Duplin	Beulaville	Science Alliance of Eastern NC
Durham	Durham	City of Durham - Parks and Recreation
Forsyth	Winston-Salem	Kaleideum North
Gaston	Gastonia	Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
Guilford	Greensboro	Greensboro Science Center
Guilford	Jamestown	Guilford Technical Community College
Iredell	Troutman	Lake Norman State Park
Jackson	Cullowhee	Western Carolina University
Lee	Sanford	Lee County Libraries
Mecklenburg	Charlotte	McDowell Nature Center
Mecklenburg	Davidson	Davidson College
Montgomery	Mount Gilead	Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site
Nash	Rocky Mount	Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences - Cummins Planetarium
Nash	Nashville	Nash County Schools
New Hanover	Wilmington	Cape Fear Museum of History and Science
Onslow	Swansboro	Hammocks Beach State Park
Orange	Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill Public Library
Pasquotank	Elizabeth City	College of the Albemarle
Pitt	Grifton	NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Contentnea Creek
Robeson	Lumberton	Robeson Planetarium and Science Center
Rowan	China Grove	Rowan Public Library System
Surry	Pinnacle	Pilot Mountain State Park
Wake	Raleigh	City of Raleigh - Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources
Wake	Raleigh	NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Wake	Raleigh	Triangle Land Conservancy
Wilkes	Boone	Appalachian State University Dark Sky Observatory
Wilson	Wilson	Imagination Station Science and History Museum
Yancey	Burnsville	Yancey County Public Library

 

 

For more information, please contact:
Amy Sayle
Coordinator, NC Statewide Star Party
Email: starparty@unc.edu 

The Statewide Star Party is made possible with the support of NC Space Grant and the NC Science Festival.

Click here for Star Party kit materials (including previous years)

Illustration Credit: Tyler Nordgren