Heavenly highlights of 2018

With the summer solstice now in the past, every day will be shorter and each night will be longer as our planet continues its annual journey around the sun.

As we approach the new year festivities, it's always nice to look back and remember some of the highlights of the past year.

Who can forget the incredible auroral display which took place on August 26 when, despite there being a nearly full moon, the southern lights glowed brightly. That night, I was lucky to be at Hoopers Inlet, where the display filled the entire sky.

For me, another memorable auroral experience was afforded by the second ``flight to the lights'' in March 2018, when, along with over 130 keen aurora-spotters, I boarded a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and headed south from Christchurch. For more than six hours, flight participants enjoyed remarkable views of the southern lights and criss-crossed areas of intense auroral activity.

A further amazing night occurred in June, when I was offered a chance to fly on Nasa's Sofia observatory as it flew on an astronomy research mission, high above the Southern Ocean. Sitting in the cockpit of a Boeing 747, talking to the crew as we viewed an aurora from a vantage point 45,000 feet above the southern ocean will certainly linger long in my memory.

But 2018 hasn't just been about chasing auroras. One of the most beautiful events of the year was the total eclipse of the moon which took place just before dawn on July 28. Watching the moon slowly fade and turn red as the moon approached the horizon was an awe-inspiring spectacle enjoyed by thousands of stargazers across Otago.

I witnessed the lunar eclipse from the University of Canterbury's Mount John Observatory above Lake Tekapo, which was also the location of my favourite event of the year, when a team of observers from Otago Museum managed to use one of the telescopes to photograph all the major planets in a single night.

After a really amazing 2018, I can't wait to see what 2019 brings. Happy new year, everyone!

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