A great week for deep sky observing, why not try and see if you can Barnard’s Galaxy or the Saturn Nebula.
News from the Galactic Centre
A Kiwi perspective on astronomy and space science news and how to get the most out the night sky
The Week in Space to 5 July 2018
Some interesting news about space in the last week.
Where is Vesta now (4 July 2018)?
Vesta reached opposition on the 20 June but is still quite easy to see and well worth a look if you get the chance.
Observing the planets and their apparent relative sizes
When observing the planets in astronomy it can be quite surprising to see the different sizes that appear in the eyepiece and how this can change over time.
Rockets or catapults, the future of rockets to Low Earth Orbit
The game changer for access to space will be humanity moving away from the use of chemical rockets to get into orbit. The disrupters to the space industry will be the ones that perfect the alternative technologies.
The Night Sky, 18 – 24 June 2018
The Winter of planets continues with Jupiter, Saturn and Mars all at fantastic high positions over the week. Venus is also getting a bit higher out of the distorted atmosphere near the horizon.
The Week in Space, In a Minute, 11-17 June 2018
A really quick round up of the week in space including a black hole swallowing a star, the Mars dust storm and Hayabusa’s journey to Ryugu.
The best thing about astronomy is showing someone else the night sky
We had a great time showing heaps of students Jupiter and Saturn during a talk about Matariki at Government House.
How to blow up an asteroid – Hayabusa 2 and 162173 Ryugu
Hayabusa2 is about to have a close up and personal experience with the asteroid Ryugu. In this mission the spacecraft will collect a bit of the asteroid and return to Earth.
Finding stuff to see in the eyepiece
Now that your telescope is all ready, take it outside and start viewing the night sky.
Getting your telescope ready for its first use
Using a telescope for the first time can be quite daunting. So it’s worth taking the time to get familiar with the telescope and the mount and all of the accessories, so that you can make the most of your time outside and don’t hurt yourself or your new expensive equipment.
New Horizons and beyond Pluto
New Horizons will make its next encounter on 1 January next year as it approaches the Kuiper Belt Object Ultima Thule, formerly known as 2014 MU69.
Melotte 22, Messier 45, Pleiades, Subaru, Chicken and Hen, Matariki and the Seven Sisters
The Pleiades are a fascinating star cluster that is easily spotted not far from the Hyades cluster in Taurus and is visible in the Southern Hemisphere summer, Northern Hemisphere winter.
The night sky, this week, 11-17 June 2018
The night sky this week is a great opportunity to get your binoculars and telescopes out to see the fantastic nebulae that sit between Scorpius and Sagittarius.
The week in space, in a minute, 28 May to 3 Jun 2018.
A summary of the week in space in a minute. This week it was the return of Expedition 55 from the International Space Station, a meteorite puts on a display over Botswana and SOFIA arrives in New Zealand.
The sky at night this week, 4-10 June 2018
The night sky this week has a few treats including the asteroid Vesta, Mars and the Moon getting close, Jupiter’s moons crossing the planet and the fantastic nebulae in Sagittarius showing off.
How to find Vesta
Vesta is at opposition in June and will be easy to spot with binoculars.
Mars is getting closer!
Mars is getting closer this year and will at it’s closest by the end of July. But don’t worry it’ll still be about 58 million kilometres away.
Mars and a new telescope
Using a telescope for the first time is not the easiest thing to do, expectations need to be realistic.
Orbital ATK and the Cygnus spacecraft
Orbital ATK is one of the commercial providers of transport services to the International Space Station (ISS) with its Cygnus spacecraft.
The night sky this week, 28 May to 3 Jun 2018
The night sky this week will be dominated by the Moon, so it’s a good time to get out and appreciate the planets that are getting into a more favourable position for viewing.
