A big week for astronomers

• Published date: 18 June 2022
• Publication title: Mix, The

First up is the southern hemisphere winter solstice. This year it takes place on Tuesday, June 21 at 9.13pm. The solstice marks the time that the sun reaches the northernmost point in its annual journey round the sky. In Dunedin the sun sets at 4.59pm and doesn’t rise until 8.19am the next day which means, weather permitting, stargazers get to enjoy more than 15 hours of prime-time stargazing. Those who aren’t keen on astronomy can use the occasion to cheer the fact that summer is now only six months away

This week the whole country gets to celebrate Matariki, with a new national holiday on Friday, June 24. Matariki is the Maori name for a star cluster located in the constellation Taurus the Bull. It is known as the Pleiades by western astronomers. In this part of the world, Matariki rises just before the sun in midwinter. For many Maori, the sighting of this really distinctive cluster of stars heralds the start of the new year.

The Otago Museum is hosting a pre-dawn ceremony to mark this important occasion. As I head...