Cosmic Rays and Muons
Cosmic rays are hitting the atmosphere constantly. One of the products of the collisions is muons, and we can detect muons on the surface of the Earth to learn about the cosmic rays.
Cosmic rays are hitting the atmosphere constantly. One of the products of the collisions is muons, and we can detect muons on the surface of the Earth to learn about the cosmic rays.
Star cluster and nebulae survey lists and astronomy observation catalogues are essential for finding cool things to look at or photograph. Imagine seeing a neat
The Seven Sisters, known as Matariki in Aotearoa and the Pleiades in Greek mythology, have been a source of fascination for thousands of years. While many cultures describe seven stars, today, most people can only see six with the naked eye.
A groundbreaking study suggests that the myth of the Seven Sisters may be one of the oldest stories in human history, dating back 100,000 years. This shared legend appears in Greek, Indigenous Australian, and other global traditions, possibly carried by early humans as they migrated from Africa. The study proposes that Pleione, once brighter, may have faded over time, explaining why one of the seven stars is now missing.
Could this ancient myth be an early form of scientific observation? Explore the celestial mystery of Matariki and the lost sister of the Pleiades.
In mid-April 2024, the Pleiades disappeared behind the blaze of the Sun. We watched them every night from Star Safari until we could see them
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 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.
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.
Mapping of the night sky rests on some common features that enable the basis of a coordinate system. These include the Celestial Sphere, the Ecliptic and the Equinoxes.
We can find out the age of a star cluster by plotting the stars on a graph called a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
In this article we explore the basics of trying to capture light from far off in the universe on a camera on the Earth’s surface.
Heres a quick look at some concepts around astrophotography to get you started.
Life needs CHNOPS, the six essential elements Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, and Sulphur. Curiosity found them on ancient Mars, but a new study shows Earth was born without them. Only a lucky impact with Theia made our world habitable. In contrast, Venus never stood a chance. Meet the three planetary siblings and discover why only Earth became a cradle for life.
Mars’s mantle contains ancient fragments up to 4km wide from its formation—preserved like geological fossils from the planet’s violent early history.
Cosmic rays are hitting the atmosphere constantly. One of the products of the collisions is muons, and we can detect muons on the surface of the Earth to learn about the cosmic rays.
NGC6025 is an beautiful open cluster close to Beta Trianguli Australis in Triangulum Australe. Visible with binoculars and great in a telescope, well worth a look.
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