Earthshine to brighten the night
Earthshine to brighten the night
A new moon occurred yesterday at 8.06am. The next few evenings are an excellent time to hunt its young waxing crescent.
Sky watch
Plethora of planets to peruse
Plethora of planets to peruse
This week is the perfect time to get up early and enjoy views of a beautiful crescent moon that is close to Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter, says Ian Griffin.
Fast-moving meteors on show until February 21
Fast-moving meteors on show until February 21
Continuing for the next couple of weeks, if you are out and about and the sky is clear, keep an eye out for fast-moving meteors, writes Ian Griffin.
Sky Watch: Colours reveal secrets
Colours reveal secrets
While any clear night at Hoopers Inlet on Otago Peninsula is impressive, it really comes into its own on calm, moonless evenings, writes Ian Griffin.
Something special for sky-watchers
Great conjunction something special for sky-watchers
Jupiter and Saturn will be so close to each other in the sky on Monday night that they will appear as a single star to the unaided eye.
Blue moon combines with penumbral eclipse
Blue moon combines with penumbral eclipse
November’s second full moon occurs at 10.30pm on Monday. Two full moons in the same calendar month is not something that happens very often, writes Ian Griffin.
So many reasons to look at the moon
So many reasons to look at the moon
The moon reached first quarter at 2.23am today. At sunset, it will be high in the northern sky. Our closest celestial neighbour’s 59% illuminated disc will be perfectly positioned for observation.
Keeping an eye on the night sky
Keeping an eye on the night sky
Astronomy compulsives sometimes get a tad upset when our day jobs mean we can’t stay up quite as late as we want, writes Ian Griffin.
A tour of the rising scorpion
A tour of the rising scorpion
This week Ian Griffin takes us on a tour of one of his favourite constellations.
A tale of two asteroids
A tale of two asteroids
In 1998, I was working at a science centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida. To a space nut like me, witnessing launches from the Kennedy Space Center was a real thrill.
A parade of naked-eye planets
A parade of naked-eye planets
As the sun rises on November 12, skywatchers across NZ will view a tiny black dot transiting the face of our nearest star.That's Mercury.
Moon approaches Saturn
Moon approaches Saturn
One of the hardest things to do when starting in astronomy is learning what is up in the sky.
A stunning island universe
A stunning island universe
Grab your binoculars to view a beautiful island universe on the next clear night.
Hunting the gegenschein
Hunting the gegenschein
Finding a gegenschein has become the astronomical equivalent of seeing a fairy tern, writes Ian Griffin.
A tour of the northern sky
A tour of the northern sky
It's an ideal time to head out after dark and explore the night sky.
Time to bid farewell to Mars and Matariki
Time to bid farewell to Mars and Matariki
Time's running out for stargazers to see Mars and Matariki, writes Ian Griffin.
A tale of three transits
A tale of three transits
Time's arrow rarely allows us to revisit the past and reflect on our heritage in light of experience. However, thanks to a chance cosmic resonance between planets, that's precisely what's going to happen this year.
Sky watch: Trio gather in the evening sky
Sky watch: Trio gather in the evening sky
Sunday night's a great chance to view the moon and planets Mars and Uranus, weather permitting, writes Ian Griffin.
Solstice approaches
Solstice approaches
It's nearly the summer solstice and there's a plethora of exciting events going on in the sky, writes Ian Griffin.
Chance to see comet in southern skies
Chance to see comet in southern skies
If sky gods are reading this column, I'm hoping they will look kindly upon Otago stargazers and give us cloud-free nights next weekend, writes Ian Griffin.