North Carolina Science Festival returns with star parties and more for 2022

Egg-straordinary Engineering Challenge
Friday, April 1st, 2022
3 to 5 p.m.
Kannapolis Public Library
850 Mountain Street
Kannapolic, NC
Free

What happens when you drop a raw egg from the ladder of a fire truck? That depends on your engineering skills! Come design and build a contraption to keep your egg safe from 3-4pm, then join us and Kannapolis fire fighters for the egg drop from 4-5pm. We’ll also be designing and building on March 31 from 4-5pm, but the egg drop is only on April 1. Drop in.

STEM on the Wing Day
Saturday, April 2nd, 2022
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Carolina Raptor Center
6000 Sample Road, Huntersville, NC
Free

Guests are invited to take off into science at STEM on the Wing Day! We partner with science organizations from all over Charlotte to bring exciting and interactive activities for all ages to the Raptor Trail! Throughout the day, our expert flight team will ignite your imagination with a series of pop-up appearances. Exercise your brain and explore your inner geek at this celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. And to top it all off, admission is FREE all day.

Statewide Star Party: Harrisburg Library
Friday, April 8th, 2022
7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Harrisburg Library
201 Sims Parkway, Harrisburg, NC
Free

The Harrisburg branch of the Cabarrus County Public Libraries is thrilled to be a 2022 Statewide Star Party host! Join us as we look to the skies on Friday, April 8. Family-friendly activities such as scavenger hunts, stargazing, and a Q&A session about the new James Webb Space Telescope will be held within the Harrisburg Park and Harrisburg Library.

This event is free and open to the public.

In the event of inclement weather or COVID-19 restrictions, some or all activities may be held inside the library or can be accessed virtually through Cabarrus County Public Library’s social media platforms.

Statewide Star Party: Lake Norman State Park
Friday, April 8th, 2022
7:30 to 9 p.m.
Lake Norman State Park
759 State Park Road, Troutman, NC
Free

Join the Park Rangers and the Piedmont Amateur Astronomers for a fun night of gazing at the stars! Visitors will have a chance to get hands-on with activities related to the James Webb Space Telescope, then peer through a ground-based telescope to get an up-close look at the night sky. Rain date will be April 9th at the same time.

Statewide Star Party: Davidson College
Saturday, April 9th, 2022
6 to 10:30 p.m.
Davidson College
209 Ridge Road, Davidson, NC
Free

The Davidson College Physics Department invites you to a Star Party to be held on the campus of Davidson College the evening of Saturday, April 9, 2022 from 6:30 – 10:30 pm. As always, all our stargazing events are free and open to the public!

Come explore the wonders of astronomy and the night sky with your family and friends by joining us for the three events described below*. Please stay for all three, or feel free to come for just one or two. As a host for the NC Science Festival’s annual Statewide Star Party, our theme for all events is “Understanding the Universe,” with a focus on science and engineering related to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

• 6:00 – 7:30 pm: Outdoor activity session in the courtyard of the Baker-Watt Science Complex, featuring family-friendly demonstrations, crafts, and activities.
• 7:30 – 8:30 pm: Public lecture on the campus lawn, topic and speaker to be announced soon.
• 8:30 – 10:30 pm: Public stargazing on the campus lawn, featuring telescope observations and guided tours of the Moon, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and planets. Bring a blanket and relax while you take time to simply look up.

*Please note that all sessions are planned to be outdoors and are weather/pandemic permitting. The rescheduling and/or relocation of all events to indoor spaces will depend upon the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic and Davidson College COVID guidelines. All guests of the College for this event will be required to strictly adhere to the College’s COVID vaccination and masking policies and other social distancing guidelines. For updates about the status of each of our events and the College’s policies, please check our event webpage at www.sites.google.com/davidson.edu/davidsonstarparty2022.

Statewide Star Party: McDowell Nature Center
Saturday, April 9th, 2022
8 to 10 p.m.
McDowell Nature Center
15222 York Road, Charlotte, NC

Stargaze with a McDowell Naturalist during a night of fun and discovery as we participate in the 2022 North Carolina Statewide Star Party: Understanding the Universe.

Explore the Universe and the science and engineering of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Enjoy an evening of hands-on astronomy activities, view the night sky through a telescope, explore the preserve on a starlit night hike, and more! In the event of inclement weather, rain plans will be observed.

Pre-registration is required (for all participants, adult and child alike) as space is limited for this special event. Please call the McDowell Nature Center (980-314-1228) for more information and to register for this event.

Telescopes Near and Far: Star Party 2022 at Discovery Place
Saturday, April 9th, 2022
8:30 to 10 p.m.
Discovery Place Science
301 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC

Join Discovery Place Science and the Charlotte Amateur Astronomy Club to explore the spring night sky with telescopes and consider the technology that looks around the solar system and the universe as a whole. The recently launched Webb Telescope is sending back new information about the sun, neighbor planets and is seeing farther into the Milky Way galaxy. Hands-on activities will explore the robotics, imaging and communication technology that makes the Webb telescope the most powerful space telescope yet.