Local Focus: Napier planetarium a heavenly jewel

Every Sunday night in Napier, the secrets of the heavens are revealed at the Hawke's Bay Holt Planetarium, one of several New Zealand planetariums.

Planetarium director Gary Sparks said a planetarium was a place where the night sky could be viewed.

"We have a projection system that recreates an image of the night sky projected onto a dome ceiling," he said.

"We can sit in there at any time of the day or night, rain or shine, and explain the night sky to people."

The Sunday programme includes a video presentation in an adjoining lecture theatre with surround sound.

People then move to the planetarium where that evening's night sky is projected on to an overhead dome.

It is powered by 1960s East German technology using Carl Zeiss optics, considered by some to be better than today's digital equivalent when paired with a dome the size of the Hawke's Bay Holt Planetarium's.

The planetarium is also available for hire to private groups.

"We've got a number of different options of things that we can show, depending on the nature of the crowd.

"Anywhere from programmes more suitable for children to some more scientific programmes.

"But the feature attraction is going into the actual planetarium-dome room itself, sitting under the dome in a nice, relaxed, quiet reclining seat and seeing the night sky.

"We set up the night sky to show how it would appear that evening and we take people for a tour of the night sky: showing them the things that they can see, talk about some of the myths and legends, a bit of the science and hopefully answer lots of questions, because we love answering questions."

He said in winter there was strong interest in Matariki, a star cluster that rises over the horizon in late June or early July, which marks the beginning of the new year in the Māori lunar calendar.

Astronomy tourism was big business in New Zealand before international tourism was affected by the Covid pandemic.

He said New Zealand's clear evening skies, brimming with stars, proved popular with people from big cities overseas where light and air pollution meant stars were rarely seen.

The view from Down Under was also different, he said.

"We get a quite unique perspective of the winter Milky Way as the sun moves around the Milky Way, as we move around the Sun.

"Our view of the Milky Way changes and it just so happens that in the middle of winter, when the sky is really clear, the viewing is at its best - the exact centre of the Milky Way is almost straight above New Zealand."

The Carl Zeiss projector was purchased in 1961 and gifted to Napier City by Napier businessman Harold Holt, after whom the planetarium was named.

It sits on the grounds of Napier Boys High School, which Holt attended, and it would cost more than $1 million to replace today.

It is owned by the Hawke's Bay Planetarium Charitable Trust and is open to the public every Sunday from 7pm to 9pm.