On 3rd of January, China’s rover Chang’e 4 landed on the lunar surface. This was the first time humans have landed anything on the so called dark side of the Moon – it’s not really […]
News from the Galactic Centre
A Kiwi perspective on astronomy and space science news and how to get the most out the night sky
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 of the sky and research telescopes. Because of my somewhat […]
Navigating the Night Sky – Part 3
This is the follow on video from Parts 1 and 2 and looks at the bit of sky between the Southern region and Orion, specifically between the False Cross and Sirius. You’ll also learn how to find M41 and M79.
The Solar Minimum and the Minimal Sunspots and Flares
Our very quiet Sun, that is casually wandering through the current solar minimum, had a sunspot visible today, which was all very exciting so we took a couple of photos.
Navigating the Night Sky – Part 2
This is the second video in a series to help you find your way around the Southern Sky at night. This video concentrates on the area between the Southern Cross and the Magellanic Clouds.
Navigating the Night Sky, Part 1
A quick video to show the basics of finding stuff in the night sky, no telescopes or binoculars required, just your eyes. This is part 1 so it’s just the basics of a few bright stars and two constellations in the Southern Sky.
The Kuiper Belt’s Ultima Thule and the New Horizons Flypast on New Years Day
Hot on the heals of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 trip to the Moon we have the real time fly past of Ultima Thule on New Years Day, only this time the distance […]
How to Find the Clusters Omicron Velorum and NGC 2516
Just by the False Cross in the Southern Sky are the two beautiful clusters Omicron Velorum and NGC 2516. These are very easy to find, you just have to navigate from the Southern Cross to the False Cross.
The chronicles of the Head Cheese: Who owns the Moon?
The question of who owns the Moon has always been an interesting topic. Fortunately we have a treaty system to say that no one can own the Moon – but before this there were some very interesting and somewhat crazy claimants.
The Apollo 8 Spacecraft and The Trip to The Moon
In 4 days it’s the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8’s arrival at the Moon and tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of its launch.
The First Humans to the Moon, Apollo 8
This Christmas it is 50 years since the first humans got an up close and personal look at the Moon. Apollo 8 was launched on 21 December 1968 and entered lunar orbit on 24 December, just in time for the crew to celebrate Christmas further from the Earth than anyone had ever celebrated Christmas, or anything else, ever.
Supernovae and Extinction Events
Recent research suggests there may be a link between a supernova about 2.6 million years ago and the extinction of a large number of marine megafauna on the Earth at the time.
How to find the Sculptor Galaxy, NGC 253
This is a short video on how to find the Sculptor Galaxy in the Southern Sky. This is a beautiful and bright galaxy that is well worth a look at.
Instructions for looking up in December
This podcast has been recorded by us here from New Zealand for Space Place at Carter Observatory and the Jodcast, for the December night sky 2018. The Jodcast is a volunteer podcast about astronomy set […]
News from the Solar System
The burden of too much information is heavy, come and find out with us and Julian Priest, artist in residence at Space Place what you can do about it, if only complain, The Royal Society of New Zealand warns about blue light at night, NASA will land Mars 2020 at Jezero, an ancient delta on Mars, gravitational waves might or might not exist, the king is dead, Kepler run out of power, long live the king, TESS is the new kid in town. And last but not least, InSight is due to land on Mars.
News from the Solar System
In New Zealand, Space Starts with Sheep; a new season is about to open for exoplanets as scientists discover an efficient method to predict microlensing; Earth’s Moon to be used as a giant radio telescope; “Hello, Andromeda calling”, gravitational waves might be used to carry information; 1500 km long water cloud appears on Mars after the planet-wide storm from last month, while InSider probe has only one month left hurling through space, and will land on Mars in November; scientists narrow down the landing sites for Mars 2020 rover; change of plans, why not land among the clouds of Venus? Hubble and Chandra telescopes have been repaired, mostly by switching them on and off and stay tuned for the position of Uranus in the sky.
How to make a blackhole
A light hearted look at how you might make a blackhole if you happen to have a large star handy.
How do you make a star?
It’s not easy to make a star, you need a lot of cold space and a huge amount of hydrogen. But if you manage to do that then you can have your very own Sun sized star to keep you warm in winter.
What’s Going to Mercury?
BepiColombo is due to launch on Saturday on an Ariane 5 rocket. The mission will get to Mercury in 2025 helping us learn a lot more about the planet that is the closest to the Sun.
International Observe the Moon Night
This Saturday night is International Observe the Moon Night so hopefully the weather will be great and we can all catch a glimpse of the Moon.
What is a Gamma Ray Burst?
Aside from the Big Bang, Gamma Ray Bursts are the most powerful releases of energy in the universe, sometimes releasing over 100 times the entire energy of the Sun over it’s 10 billion year lifespan.
