Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will celebrate the International Year of Astronomy with a family night on Saturday where kids can build their own galaxy, talk with astronomers and watch a special planetarium show.

The event is one of about four family science days or nights that Morehead in Chapel Hill holds each year.

“We want to support families doing science together,” said Shelley Rogers, an exhibit developer at Morehead.

Rogers figures that if families learn about science together at Morehead, they’re more likely to talk about it together when they get home.

The International Year of Astronomy celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of a telescope for sky studying and Kepler’s work on planetary motion. Go to for more information and to find some free astronomy-related activities for kids. Just click on “get involved” to find the links.

Morehead’s event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. You can drop in anytime for the activities, which are free. Kids can build their own galaxy, create their own constellations, make a moon crater, explore the Morehead Observatory, talk with astronomers at UNC-Chapel Hill and learn more about their remote telescope.

Outside, families can use telescopes and the naked eye to observe the night sky.

At 6 p.m., Galileo Gailei, the father of modern astronomy, will drop by (well, maybe not the original one) for a family-friendly talk about his life and work. Stick around and there will be some birthday cake to celebrate his 445th birthday.

And at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., Morehead will present a special Carolina Skies presentation where viewers can explore planets and stars that you’d find in your back yard. The show also includes information about how to measure light pollution in your area by counting the stars in the constellation Orion. Regular ticket prices apply for these shows.

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Twice As Nice Consignment Sale starts up Friday in Apex. And Nearly New Consignment Sale continues through this weekend.

Drop by the N.C. Museum of Art to learn about acrostic poems and George Moses Horton, a slave who became North Carolina’s first professional poet. Make it, Take it: Acrostics is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Feb. 28, at the N.C. Museum of History.

Cary teens will bring to life the story of “The Very Great Grandson of Sherlock Holmes” at 7 p.m., Feb. 28, at the Cary Senior Center Ballroom, 801 High House Road. The free event will feature teens from the Masters in Acting Class offered by Applause! Cary Youth Theatre.

Get your tickets for the N.C. Symphony’s final Young People’s Series concert of the season. A World of Music will feature music from around the world along with puppets from Paperhand Puppet Intervention. Concerts are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., March 14 at Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

Just ran across this during a little walk through downtown Raleigh. Tir Na Nog Irish pub will have a kids show at 1 p.m., Saturday. Farmer John, an internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter, will play. For beer loving parents, this is a great opportunity to grab a pint while your kids enjoy some music. The food is pretty good there too.

As always, there's a lot more on the Mom2Mom calendar. (Click the little arrow next to February to see March events).

Check out our other daily themes at TriangleMom2Mom:

MONDAY: Meet!
TUESDAY: Ask!
WEDNESDAY: Eat!
THURSDAY: Play!
FRIDAY: Out!
WEEKEND: Relax!