Things are getting spooky at Morehead Planetarium's Scare-olina Skies

Greek mythology, astrological exploration and good old-fashioned Halloween fun collide to create the Moonlight Madness event at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center on Sunday, Oct. 27. 

The event will feature a Scare-olina Skies star show, a festive twist on the planetarium’s year-round Carolina Skies. While Carolina Skies has been offered at the science center for years, it is hardly your average planetarium show, said Malenia Swinton, the planetarium’s marketing and communications manager. 

“I think a lot of people have a very historical idea, like, 'Oh, we've all gone to the planetarium when we were in third grade on a field trip,'” Swinton said. “We’re hoping that people see that we do more than just the standard planetarium show. This special edition Carolina Skies is a really good opportunity to see that.”

The show, and the planetarium as a whole, are special resources that UNC students and the greater Chapel Hill community have access to, said Samantha Dikolli, the planetarium’s marketing and communications assistant. 

“(The show) brought to life a lot of astronomy tidbits I did not know existed,” Dikolli said. “It’s really cool to know that this was a local thing, like this is our sky, our North Carolina sky. And to be thinking about that on UNC's campus is a really cool educational experience.”

This is the first Scare-olina Skies event since the planetarium’s theater was renovated over the summer. The 1949 dome was repainted and the theater was refurbished with new seating and carpeting, which Swinton believes adds a lot to the show's overall atmosphere.

“If people haven't been since we've renovated, it’s a really good time to come see and get a preview of some of the work we've been doing on the building,” Swinton said. 

Unlike previous Moonlight Madness events, this year’s festivities are a bit scaled back because of continuing renovations throughout the rest of the science center. The planetarium is still encouraging families to enjoy the show and celebrate by indulging in some Halloween treats.

Like the Carolina Skies show, the spookier version is powered by storytelling, but with a bit more chaos, said Amy Sayle, an educator at the planetarium.

“I'm going to focus on stories from different cultures,” Sayle said. “The stories themselves are not particularly scary, they're not meant to be ghost stories. They just feature a little murder and mayhem as part of them.” 

Greek and Native American mythology both play prominent roles in stories that will be featured at Scare-olina Skies.

Perseus and his triumph over the snake-haired Medusa, the Pleiades sisters and the origin of their constellation and other enchanting stories are all accounted for in the Scare-olina Skies show, Sayle said.

“For the Pleiades story I have a great special effect, but I don't want to give it all away,” Sayle said. “I have pretty good special effects for all the stories.”

A similar event will be offered for adults and teenagers on Wednesday, Oct. 30. This show is geared toward an older audience, but includes many of the same stories as the Moonlight Madness event. 

Sayle said shows under the planetarium dome are a unique way for the community to experience and connect with people from other eras and cultures.

“I love to connect to people and help them connect to the night sky above them through the stories that people around the world have told about what they saw in the sky,” Sayle said. 

Beyond just storytelling, Sayle believes it’s important to investigate the sky because it's a huge part of life that people don't always take the time to observe. 

“I hope people come in to understand what's above them,” Sayle said. “The sky is half our field of view; you should get to know what's in it. Become friends with our universe.”

arts@dailytarheel.com

@Elizabeth_sills