Stargazing opportunities to observe Puanga in Whanganui

Stargazers can find out how to locate Puanga, Matariki and other prominent stars.

While most people around the country celebrate Matariki, Puanga is the star that Whanganui iwi look towards to signal the New Year.

The Whanganui Regional Museum is offering opportunities to learn all about Puanga, the Aotearoa New Year, in conjunction with astronomy, in an inflatable Starlab.

The sessions include kōrero about how Māori celebrate Aotearoa New Year and how we can all celebrate as a community during this time.

Find out how to locate Puanga, Matariki and other prominent stars and hear of their significance.

An inflatable Starlab will provide a virtual journey to discover more about the stars that signal Puanga and Matariki, Aotearoa New Year.

Participants can sit back in the Starlab while thousands of stars shine in a simulation of the night sky while discovering how to use the stars to track the seasons and to find your way.

Matariki has been absent from our night sky since early May, but Puanga is still evident in the west after sunset.

Matariki will return to the morning sky very soon, whereas Puanga is already visible just before dawn.

Each day, these stars will rise slightly earlier and will be easier to spot in the darker pre-dawn sky.

There are three dates for Starlab sessions - Tuesday June 26 from 4pm to 5.30 pm, Wednesday, June 27 from 4pm to 5.30 pm and Saturday, June 30 from 1pm to 2.30 pm.

Sessions are more suited to school age children so attendees must be 5 and over.

Cost is $2 per person and bookings are essential. Call 06 349 1110 to reserve a place.

There will also be opportunities to stargaze through the Ward Observatory's historic giant telescope in St Hill St in June and July. Contact Nicole Dryden of the Puanga Working Committee on 027 440 2481 to learn more.