RESOURCES

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SPACE?

CHECK OUT THESE HELPFUL RESOURCES OR ASK A REAL ASTRONOMER! 

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A BURNING QUESTION ABOUT SPACE?

Perhaps you've been asking yourself the big questions about how the universe began? Or maybe you’ve just been wondering how astronauts go to the toilet in space?

Whatever they might be, submit your questions to our Astronomy Educators. Just drop us a message via our Facebook, Instagram or here.

WHEN CAN I SEE THE ISS PASS OVERHEAD?

Find out when you can see the International Space Station and other satellites passing over your town.

Auckland
Christchurch
Clyde
Dunedin
Gisborne
Hamilton
Hokitika
Invercargill
Kawakawa
Napier
Nelson
New Plymouth
Palmerston North
Taupo
Tauranga
Wellington

SOLAR SYSTEM RESOURCES

Find out more about the planets in our Solar System with this handy table.

APPS AND SOFTWARE

Stellarium - a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D.

Starry Night - astronomy telescope control software for Mac or PC.

Celestia - a free space simulation that shows real-time 3D visualisation of space.

Distant Suns - a personal guide to the cosmos on your device.

USEFUL LINKS

Auckland Astronomical Society - the original founders of Stardome

Lunar perigee and apogee calulator 

When is the next eclipse in your city?

Check solar wind speed and more at SpaceWeather

MAKE A SOLAR VIEWER

You can view a reflected image of the sun safely using a solar viewer, sometimes called a pinhole viewer. Follow the steps to make your own.

Remember, never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection! 

SPACE FAQs

CAN YOU IDENTIFY AN OBJECT THAT I SAW IN THE SKY?

We can investigate for you if you provide as much detail as possible. Let us know the date and time you saw it, the direction you were looking, how bright it was, and which direction the object was travelling towards if moving. Any pictures or video footage is helpful. Email us at info@stardome.org.nz.

WHEN CAN I VIEW AN ECLIPSE?

Eclipses occur during a precise alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, which can happen several times in a calendar year. Click here to find out when they are visible for a particular location.

WHEN IS MATARIKI? 

The Matariki star cluster is visible all year except in May. The reappearance of the Matariki stars signals the beginning of the Māori New Year. However, not all iwi celebrate at the same time. 

DOES EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL LIFE EXIST? 

Although living organisms on planets other than our own have yet to be discovered, that’s not to say they aren’t out there. New planets and other objects are being discovered all the time, so in our view this is entirely possible.

WAS THE MOON LANDING REAL? 

Yes, the NASA astronauts did truly walk on the Moon. Moon rocks were brought back, experiments were conducted and you can even see images of the equipment that was left behind! One handy artifact the astronauts left behind on the moon is a laser beam reflector which has been used to track the distance of the moon from the Earth. Credible scientists all over the world agree that the astronauts did indeed land there.

CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY ASTRONOMY ASSIGNMENT? 

Yes! We are happy to help you figure out really tricky questions you need for homework, but be warned we will not give you the answers! Email us at info@stardome.org.nz with your question so that we can arrange for an appropriate person to contact you.