UNC's Morehead Planetarium celebrates 69 years Posted May 17, 2018 The Morehead Planetarium opened its doors on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's campus May 10, 1949 after 17 months of construction. It was the first planetarium in the South and only the sixth in the United States. At $3 million – more than $50 million in today’s dollars – it was the most expensive building in the state at the time. (WRAL.com)