Jupiter was named after the Roman King of Gods, His Greek equivalent Zeus, loved many women’s bods. Sixty-seven of Jupiter’s moons there are, And each named after a lascivious memoir. First comes Metis, who […]
News from the Galactic Centre
A Kiwi perspective on astronomy and space science news and how to get the most out the night sky
Janine Bidmead – πλανήτης: traveller in the sky
I enjoy sharing astronomy stories with as many people as possible, through community out-reach programmes, planetarium shows and chatting to anyone who will listen about all the cool things we used the night sky for in the past, but also all the amazing things we are continually learning about what’s out there in the present.
Star Wars and Our Night Sky
Have you ever wondered what might be lurking in our night sky that resembles the science fiction of Star Wars? I thought so! Me too.
Celestial Rorschach Test
Psychologists use a Rorschach test to learn about our personality traits and conflicts held deep in the subconscious. I want you to take you a Celestial Rorschach test. Perhaps not to understand any deep rooted conflicts, but rather to gain an inner perspective of what you see outside.
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.
Life on Mars, Water on Mars, or Matt Damon on Mars?
“if they can wake up at 4 am to watch a rugby game I can wake up at 4:30 am to watch the NASA press conference”. – Kathy Campbell
NASA’s Spaceward Bound Visits New Zealand
Source: NASA’s Spaceward Bound Visits New Zealand
In the Sky in September 2015
You can read in detail about The Sky of September here. It will be the same year after year, Pluto and all.
Relax, Pluto WILL not go anywhere soon
In fact Pluto takes 248 years to orbit the Sun as it orbits at an average distance of 5.9 billion km from the Sun, while Earth only orbits at 150 million km. This means that it will take Pluto almost 20 years to shift into another constellation.
Everything else you need to know
I’m flying to Mars… again
i. Haritina Mogosanu Martian Since 10/8/2014 (with this company but really I first went there with Curiosity) 297,865,305 Points Earned http://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/insight/?action=getcert&e=1&pid=3&cn=503001924663
Professor Kathy Campbell – Life and Environment
was our chief scientist at Spaceward Bound New Zealand. Check out a bit about her astrobiology work here. Professor Kathy Campbell – Life and Environment.
Haritina Mogosanu – Curator, Milky-Way.Kiwi
Hello and welcome! I am an astrobiologist and a science communicator about all things space-related, but especially human space exploration, astrobiology and astronomy. I work with a wide variety of projects that involve people and […]
Axis Mundi
“Every Microcosm, every inhabited region, has a Centre; that is to say, a place that is sacred above all.”
Mircea Eliade
Well, after spending about and around nine years in the dark at Carter Observatory, doing what I always called the awesomest job in the world, I heard a siren call and did what felt right. So Saturday I had my last planetarium presenting show (s) in this shape and form. And just like in the movies, on my last shift, a lady came to me and grabbed me by the arm after the show. (Need I say that nobody ever grabbed me like that in nine years of working here.) She looked me in the eyes, leaned towards me and said:
"I loved your show. I can see how much passion you have for your job. I hope you will always keep that alive!"and then, vanished through the door, smiling ... I did not even have time to blink before she disappeared so the melodrama moment never quite took off but I did think "um, oops actually this is my last show..."
Commenting on Mars One’s colonists lifespan on Mars (estimated 68 days according to MIT)
“People believe they can simply go to Mars, pull out some inflatable greenhouses and start living there in happiness and plenty of oxygen… well, I don’t really think it works like that!”
What is a Milky-Way.Kiwi
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…
The difference between kiwis, Kiwis and kiwis (syn. kiwifruits)
A. The kiwi
Kiwi, in small caps, (as opposite to Kiwi – please note the capital letter, and to kiwifruit, which seems to have the word fruit after kiwi) is a flightless bird, endemic to New Zealand. Which is why (I’m thinking), for the majority of people, you either have to be from New Zealand or have friends there, to remotely know what a kiwi (bird) looks like.
Lost in the Southern Hemisphere?
Finding directions from the stars has never been easier. In the modern times, everyone has a phone app.
However, there are some old tricks just in case you run out of battery. Having said that, my colleague and cartoonist Eugene G and me (still unable to get over my engineering degree) are preparing an engineer’s guide to finding South by the stars.
In the meantime, here is the description of how to do that anyway with or without maps.
Latest updates on the Wellington (Sedon) earthquake
Today at 2:31 PM NZST all Wellingtonians stopped working and instead, instantly occupied the space “under the tables for all the wrong reasons”. Immediately after that, in a perfect orchestration, everyone vacated their working places! Wellington’s CBD suddenly become alive as people started their silent march down the hill – since nobody could talk on the phone due to the network overload! Why down the hill nobody knows but fact is that the entire working force of Wellington acted in solidarity, for once, today, in a new type of strike … the strike slip!!
