The Matariki constellation.
OPINION
Mel Williams is from Visitor Services, Kiwi North
My daughter and I had the great pleasure of being taken on a guided tour of the stars recently. Outside it was a typical wintery night in Northland, driving rain, gusting wind and clouds concealing anything higher than Parihaka from view, but from where we were sitting, the celestial scene was perfect. We were at Planetarium North.
Just up the hill from the car park at Kiwi North is an absolute treasure for Whangārei, a gateway to the stars and an incredible source of cosmical knowledge delivered by a dedicated team of volunteers from the Northland Astronomical Society.
When we arrived we were greeted and invited to look at the impressive Lego displays in the lobby, including the International Space Station, the Apollo 11 Rocket and three generations of Mars Rovers.
At showtime, we were escorted into the planetarium, an intimate space with just 24 chairs lining the circular room, a star projector in the centre and a domed ceiling above us.
There was a mixture of guests on our journey with us. Among them a family, a mother and son, a father and son, some friends and ourselves. There was something special about leaning back and watching the night sky being projected above us as Naomi took us on a guided tour of the cosmos.
The current show, Matariki 2024, is a sunrise-to-sunset visual display of what’s happening behind the clouds at this time of year, with a focus on the pre-dawn sky as Matariki rises.
We learned about the Matariki cluster, how to navigate to its location and about the constellations surrounding it. We learned about the historical importance of Puanga, a star also known as Rigel and part of the Orion constellation.
As Matariki rises so low in the sky, many Māori tribes observed the appearance of Puanga as marking the beginning of the new year.
Another constellation flagged on the tour was one we were all familiar with, Crux, the Southern Cross, special because it is permanently visible in New Zealand.
The angle at which the Earth rotates on its axis means Crux never goes below the horizon, it is an astronomic constant circling our southern night sky. The five stars that make up this iconic constellation are Alpha Crucis, Beta Crucis, Gamma Crucis, Delta Crucis and Epsilon Crucis.
Many other stars were mentioned, some that I’d heard of but could never tell you where they were, except to say “up there somewhere”. Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri are the southern pointers that show us where to find the Southern Cross. Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri are the nearest stars to Earth, just 4.2 and 4.4 light years away, although with current technology it could take around 6000 years to reach them.
My new favourite star is Betelgeuse, a red supergiant within the Orion constellation that is the tenth brightest star in the sky with a diameter 500 times greater than our sun.
My daughter couldn’t understand why I got the giggles when Naomi said the name “Betelgeuse” three times and I had to explain the premise of the 80s movie Beetlejuice to her. My actual child still didn’t think it was funny, but my inner child thought it was hilarious.
After the show we were all invited up to the observatory but unfortunately, the rain had not eased and the clouds had not dispersed so we couldn’t use the telescope to view the sky that night.
We were, however, shown a selection of telescopes showcasing a range of technologies that have been used to educate star gazers for many years and we were invited to return on a clear night to experience first-hand what can be seen through them.
If you get a chance to experience the Matariki show in this incredible local treasure, I highly recommend it. Our visit to Planetarium North was an absolutely stellar experience and we have come away with astronomical memories of our very special tour through the night sky.
Tickets can be purchased online at planetariumnorth.co.nz for Matariki 2024 which runs every Saturday until the end of July. School and club bookings can also be made by contacting the Northland Astronomical Society.