Morehead Planetarium, The First of Its Kind in the South

Posted Jun 10, 2018
On May 10, 1949, the Morehead Planetarium opened on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. It was first planetarium in the South, the first planetarium on a university campus and the sixth planetarium to be built nationwide. The planetarium was primarily a gift of John Motley Morehead III, an 1891 graduate and founder of Union Carbide Corporation. (NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources)

Related: Campus Connections

Aer Lingus College Football Classic 2026: Much More Than A Game
The University of North Carolina will host or participate in business, cultural, academic, athletic, and arts events in Dublin, Ireland, the week leading up to...
Thu Jun 11, 2026

UNC Army ROTC earns prestigious MacArthur Award
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Army ROTC program has been named a recipient of the prestigious Gen. Douglas MacArthur Award for the fifth time in its history, recognizing...
Thu Jun 11, 2026

UNC alum, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree Anne Marie Hagerty is ‘The Envoy’
Anne Marie Hagerty travels the world interviewing people for “The Envoy Show,” a docuseries about how food impacts health, economic growth and sustainable tourism in...
Wed Jun 10, 2026

UNC-Founded Eats2Seats to Create Entrepreneurial ‘Third Space’ with New Franklin Street Headquarters
Like an Uber Eats for sports and entertainment venues, the concessions and vending partner Eats2Seats allows fans to order food and beverages right to their...
Tue Jun 9, 2026