Category: The Night Sky

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Open Sesame April

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.

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January, a name with a story

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.

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Te Waka O Tamarereti

As the waka entered the sky, Tama Rereti began to scatter the luminescent stones and pebbles in all directions as he went along. The wake of the canoe became the Milky Way and the stones and pebbles became its stars.
This is why we have stars in the sky.

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November – Vinicer

I could never quite grasp November, never understood the point of it being there. Feeling too cold and too hot in the same time… my senses definitely refused to multitask. Then, eons later when I discovered Wellington with its famous five seasons in one day: spring, summer, autumn, winter and Monsoon, November felt less incomprehensible.

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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.

Muon Detector

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.