If you can’t make it to Wairarapa or New Zealand, learn astronomy online with us and SLOOH.
Also check out our favourite astrophotography guide
A Milky Way Kiwi is someone who shows up to live in the future. A bit wild, very curious, a Milky Way Kiwi chooses life and cares about it. It knows that he or she is made of stardust. And because of that everything is possible in life. He or she knows that we are beautiful, bright and eternal, just like the stars.
The short story is: please stop eating Kiwis, they are humans too…
At the center of our Galaxy, a dark patch resembles to a kiwi bird. What a coincidence for us here in New Zealand that it looks exactly like our most beloved bird! (Watch this space for ‘What is a kiwibird?’).
The Northern Hemispherians call the patch the dark horse. Since ‘dark horse’ is an English expression, most of people who don’t speak English (or good English) have no idea what that means, however let me tell you that I believe that our kiwi is a true ‘dark horse’*.
And, you can see it with the naked eye from New Zealand, the country of the dark skies!
You can see the Milky Way Kiwi with the naked eye from Lake Tekapo! Earth and Sky knows where it is and they can show you!
Unlike the native (endemic) kiwi, all people of New Zealand chose to show up here from somewhere else.
The word goes that sitting in the bus in Wellington (the capital city) feels like sitting in the United Nations… (that’s what one of my professors said). New Zealand today is a very cosmopolitan society … a multinational and multicultural state!
I am biased and I admit it! I see the Milky Way Kiwi where I should see a horse. But since in the other hemisphere things are upside down, I also believe that this is just a matter of perspective. After all, the Milky Way Kiwis are walking on Earth today as they have done it since the beginning of times, as dark horses.
There is a Milky Way Kiwi at the heart of all of us!
____________
* dark horse noun (merriam-webster)
: a person, animal, or thing that competes in a race or other contest and is not expected to win
: a person who has interesting qualities or abilities that most people do not know about
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.
