Question. Would you watch a total solar eclipse over Stonehenge? Would you watch a total solar eclipse over Carhenge? What’s Carhenge? I’m glad you asked.
Cloudy Nights
Mention the words “cloudy night” to a star gazer, and they’ll mumble and grumble and say something like “Might as well get some sleep.” Of course in the southern hemisphere this takes on a whole different meaning. Cloudy night in this treasure trove of heavenly delights refers to an evening exploring our companion galaxies, the large and small Magellanic Clouds. And for northern star gazers this is very high (if not number 1) on the must see list. How amazing it must be to see another galaxy so large that you could fit 20 full moons across its diameter. That’s the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and for the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) we’re looking at about 9 full moons. Let’s spend a moment exploring these clouds.
A Starryteller’s poem for Valentine’s Day
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 […]
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.
In the Sky in December 2015
The evening sky is devoid of planetary landscapes, with one exception…
The Sky of December – Solar and Lunar Calendars
Closer to the equator, the year is measured with lunisolar calendars. In the middle east the Muslims have a lunar calendar, their new year is marked by the Ramadan which is precisely calculated by the phases of the Moon. In the far east the Chinese have a lunar calendar too and they also use Jupiter to mark the time, which is why the Chinese zodiac is on a twelve years cycle, exactly the time it takes Jupiter to move around the sun once. In India they also have a lunar calendar, vedic astrology is based on the mansions of the moon, also known as nakshatras.
The Night Sky for November and Te Waka O Tamarereti
The canoe of Tama Rereti sets sail in November from Aotearoa signaling to Maori navigators that it was time to start planning their journeys back to Rarohenga. Rarohenga means the domain, the rohe, beyond the Sun, Ra. Maori call that the places they cannot see beyond the curvature of Earth.
