Category: People

Recent Stories

The Life of Jay “MorningStar” McCoy

Born in 1944 at the dawn of the space age, Jay McCoy grew up fascinated by rockets and science. As a teenager he built experimental rockets, explored the counterculture of the 1960s, and eventually travelled across the world in search of adventure, music, and knowledge.

From stage lighting at New Zealand’s legendary Sweetwaters and Nambassa festivals to building an off-grid observatory on the slopes of Mauna Kea in Hawai‘i, Jay’s life was guided by a deep curiosity about the universe and humanity’s place within it.

This memoir, written by his wife Delyse McCoy, traces the remarkable journey of a man who never stopped exploring the cosmos.

Edmund Halley and the Beginnings of James Cook’s Trip to New Zealand

James Cook’s voyage to Tahiti in 1769 was the culmination of 130 years of work to observe and understand the Transit of Venus. Edmund Halley was instrumental in laying the foundations for the successful observations in 1769 and ultimately solving the Earth – Sun distance.

A day in the life of an Astronomy guide

I am an Astronomy guide. I live in the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, working for Earth and Sky where we take people on tours

Milky-Way.Kiwi interviews Ian Cooper – A giant of New Zealand astrophotography

Ian Cooper is a giant in New Zealand astrophotography. He has been capturing the night sky since the 1970s and in this article he takes us through some of the highlights and give us some tips.

My life on Mars: 1. coffee and traditions

My first cultural encounter, years ago prepared me in an unexpected way about how to be more

PhotoPills: imagine, plan, shoot – an astrophotography planning tool.

“Any photographer that has a question that needs an answer can use PhotoPills. Beginners use it to find sunrise and set times, golden hour and blue hour times and for basic calculations like depth of field. Then we have the photographers that plan their Sun, Moon and Milky Way shots… it all depends on your needs.”

Carhenge

Question. Would you watch a total solar eclipse over Stonehenge? Would you watch a total solar eclipse over Carhenge? What’s Carhenge? I’m glad you asked.

Peter Detterline – From the NorthS

I smiled every morning in Chile watching Orion rise toes first in the sky. It might put a smile on your face to watch him peek above the horizon as he rises in the northern hemisphere. We all have a unique perspective of the universe, and our lives due to our experiences. When you look up, be humbled by the vastness of the universe, but above all keep learning and put a smile on your face, be filled with the joy that is the universe, and let that wonder take you to new possibilities.

New

3D printed Mars bangle

February 8, 2021

Join us for a Star Safari or in the Astrobiology Dome

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Most Popular Stories

Light Pollution is Missing From New Zealand’s New Planning Laws. That’s a Problem.

(And we can do something about it.)

Three Siblings, Three Fates: Earth, Mars, and Venus

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.

The Rocky Road to Mars

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 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.