Starry, starry
NIGHT
ABOVE: Space Place at Carter Observatory, Wellington © Mark Gee
Some of the best star gazing in the world is right here, in our back yard
When you learn that the universe contains billions of galaxies and that each galaxy contains millions and in some case billions of stars, it’s enough to make your brain explode.
H
ow on earth can you get your head around that? The good news is that you’re in the right country. New Zealand is one of the best places on this planet to explore the night sky. Our sky is so clear and clean that the world’s largest Dark Sky Reserve (in the Mackenzie region) and the only Dark Sky Sanctuary (on Aotea/ Great Barrier Island) are here. And did you notice when we were in level 4 lockdown how many more stars were visible? Less pollution. It’s that, and fewer street, car and porch lights blazing that makes star gazing here so good.
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If you want to learn about what you’re looking at, you could download a star app or take an astronomy book, torch and a blanket out to your back yard – but possibly your best options are to join a night sky tour or visit a planetarium. Night sky tours, such as ones that operate on Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf, take you on a magical guided journey through the heavens. An ambassador armed with laser pointer, telescope and an astronomical amount of knowledge will describe the solar system, point out the planets, the galaxies, the
