Morehead Planetarium opened in 1949 and quickly became something far more significant than a campus attraction: NASA used it as the first facility to train astronauts in celestial navigation before the age of GPS. All seven of the original Mercury astronauts — including John Glenn and Alan Shepard — came here to learn to navigate by the stars. A plaque near the entrance marks this history.
Today the planetarium runs regular public star shows and a rotating series of science exhibitions. The dome seats around 68 people, and the quality of the shows is well above what you'd expect from a university facility.