A Case of Cometosis
Every so often I get this affliction I’ve had several times in my life, and hope to have several more times in the future. It’s called “cometosis”.
Every so often I get this affliction I’ve had several times in my life, and hope to have several more times in the future. It’s called “cometosis”.
Where exactly am I looking to find Matariki in the night sky?
Party Time – Astronomy Style!
So you want to invite some friends over and you need a theme for your party. Why not make it as big as the universe, and take your guests on a view of the cosmos? It’s fun, it’s easy, and you don’t need a degree in the finer points of astrophysics (although that could be a hoot as well). The goal is for everyone to have a good time and not necessarily to earn three college credits in astronomy when the night is done. So let’s get started.
Just like “Open sesame”, “Open April” is a pleonasm but we might have forgotten it is because the word April was invented long ago and far, far away, all the way to the other side of the world in Ancient Rome.
We often give the Moon magical properties it simply does not have. The amount of illumination it provides changes and that’s about it.
Happy Birthday Leaplings! As they are affectionately known, leaplings navigate a world where their official birthdays come only once every four years. Why did this happen and whose fault is it?
Images of objects in space are often coloured to help astronomers work out what’s going on. This post looks at what we can work out.
This month’s space exploration column takes us from the frosty terrains of ancient Earth to the latest technological feats in Mars’ atmosphere and beyond. Discover the vital insights shared by astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and journey with us through groundbreaking discoveries about black holes, the intriguing potential for life on Titan, and the innovative strategies powering Artemis moon missions. Engage with the cultural significance of space exploration through Indigenous art and marvel at the celestial dance of orbital resonance. Dive into the cosmos with us at Milky-Way.Kiwi, where the universe is closer than ever.
We get inspired by the remarkable journey of Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, from the depths of the ocean to the vastness of space, and her visit to Wellington meeting with Women in Space and teachers at Hutt Valley High School.
Get your dustpan out and prepare your vacuum cleaners! February might be famous for Valentine’s Day but it is really all about cleaning!
This post explores the star Sirius A and its companion white dwarf, Sirius B. Discovered in 1862, Sirius B is a dense remnant of a larger star. The post discusses mass transfer between the two stars and explains the formation of white dwarfs. Sirius B’s density, surface temperature, and estimated age of 150 million years are also highlighted.
Where did January get its name? The first month of the Gregorian calendar, ushers in the new year with a blend of anticipation and nostalgia. But have you ever wondered why it’s called January and what significance this month holds in various cultures around the world? Let’s journey through time and across continents to explore the origins of “January” and discover other names and customs associated with this pivotal time of year.
Recently published research has demonstrated that the expansion of the universe and black holes may be linked.
Stardate South Island was held 17-19 Feb 2023 at Staveley, near Christchurch. It was a fantastic weekend and you can read all about it here.
Venus doesn’t capture a lot of press time as it’s often overshadowed by the more hospitable Mars and the more photogenic planets of Saturn and Jupiter. It’s not all quiet around Venus, as JAXA has Akatsuki orbiting Earth’s twin and sending back some great images and building our understanding of Venus.
We got AI to describe Einstein’s theory of general relativity, and the results are pretty good. We also got some AI images created.
Cool things to look at in the May night sky. We describe 5 of our favourite ones, you may not have seen all of them before.
We run public stargazing sessions from an amazing dark sky location between Martinborough and Carterton in Wairarapa and we thought it would be helpful to cover what we do on our stargazing sessions.
Just like “Open sesame”, “Open April” is a pleonasm but we might have forgotten it is because the word April was invented long ago and far, far away, all the way to the other side of the world in Ancient Rome.
We often give the Moon magical properties it simply does not have. The amount of illumination it provides changes and that’s about it.
Happy Birthday Leaplings! As they are affectionately known, leaplings navigate a world where their official birthdays come only once every four years. Why did this happen and whose fault is it?
Images of objects in space are often coloured to help astronomers work out what’s going on. This post looks at what we can work out.
Milky-Way.Kiwi is a social enterprise for quality and affordable access to the night sky run by professional space science communicators. We provide educational services for teachers and schools – Spaceward Bound NZ, stargazing and astronomy and space courses and programmes for the public – Star Safari and we write about space and astronomy with a New Zealand perspective.
At Star Safari, everyone 15 and younger is FREE because we believe that young people should not pay for inspiration.
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