NEWS

‘Carolina Skies’ special Valentine’s Day show to focus on love stories

CHAPEL HILL -- What better way to tell some of the world’s most dramatic stories of star-crossed love than on a planetarium dome?

And that’s what the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will do at 7 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 13), Friday (Feb. 14) and Saturday (Feb. 15), when it presents a special Valentine’s Day-themed edition of "Carolina Skies." Admission is $4.50 for adults, and $3.50 for children, students and seniors. The Friday show will offer two-for-one admission.

Those in attendance at the special Valentine’s Day "Carolina Skies" will hear entertaining love stories representing all four seasons – as well as learn some astronomy, including identification of stars and constellations. All are encouraged to ask questions, and the show is appropriate for all ages.

Many of the stories are not of the "happy ever after" variety, said Dr. Amy Sayle, Morehead center show presenter. For example, in the 2,000-year-old Chinese legend of the Milky Way, a young couple in love is separated by the girl’s mother, who uses a silver pin from her hair to draw a silver river (the Milky Way) across the sky to keep the young couple apart. Then, just to make sure they stay apart, she turns each one into a star.

In the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, there are three separate tragedies: Orpheus manages to lose Eurydice twice, then is killed when he fails to acknowledge the attentions of a group of young women enchanted by his playing of the lyre.

And these two stories represent the season of summer, arguably a rather pleasant time of the year.

"Carolina Skies" is the Morehead center’s most popular live program, center officials said. With the exception of special-themed shows such as the Valentine’s Day show, the content usually focuses on the current night sky.

For more information on the show, call the information line at (919) 549-6863 or click on www.morehead.unc.edu.

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Morehead Planetarium and Science Center contact: Jeff Hill, (919) 962-1236 or jeff_hill@unc.edu