How to schedule a PLANETS visit

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center's PLANETS program serves North Carolina schools during the school year (September–May).

During the summer (June–August), PLANETS is available to other groups by reservation. Day camps, homeschool groups, YMCA programs, business functions, Scout or 4-H events — a PLANETS visit is fun and educational for everyone!

School Year Reservations

To schedule a PLANETS visit to your school for the 2010–2011 school year, complete the PLANETS Visit Request Form (this is a Word form that you can complete on your computer). Save the completed form with the filename "PLANETS_Visit_Request_Form_[your school's name, without these brackets].doc" and e-mail to planets@unc.edu. A Morehead staff member will contact you with additional information about reserving a visit to your school.

Coverage area limits. Because the primary mission of the program is to extend the Morehead experience to schools that are not within a reasonable driving distance of Chapel Hill, we give scheduling preference to schools that are more than 90 miles from Chapel Hill. Economically-distressed Tier 1 districts are exempt from this policy.

If openings remain in the PLANETS schedule for dates after March 1, 2011, Morehead staff will begin scheduling trips to schools within the 90-mile radius starting March 1, 2011.

Summer Reservations (for day camps and other groups)

During summer 2011, PLANETS is available to visit sites that are within a two-hour radius of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. (as determined by Google Maps).

To schedule a visit for summer 2011, contact Morehead Guest Relations at (919) 962-1236.

Fees for a PLANETS Visit

The cost for a PLANETS visit is based on the show(s) per visit, not on the number of children and adults in the audience of each show.

The site or school will be responsible for the following fees:

• First program: $175. If arranging for two days of visits, the first program on the second day is $160.
• Each additional program is $25.
• Mileage: $1/mile roundtrip between Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and destination.

Different fees may apply to visits taking place outside the hours of a normal school day. Contact the Morehead educator directly at ecorin@email.unc.edu or (919) 843-7716 to determine the price for your special event.

Additional Program Details

• Typical service is 2-4 programs per day. Each group's planetarium experience will last approximately one hour.
• The dome can accommodate 30 children in grades K-3, 24 in grades 4-7 and 20 in grades 8-12 per program, in addition to one or two adults. The classroom teacher MUST accompany the children inside the dome for the duration of the program. Additional adults may attend as space is available.
• If requesting more than one day of shows, please plan for the planetarium to be left in your locked facility overnight.