Sky watch

Cosmic trio gather in Libra

I hope that at least least some readers got to enjoy the close conjunction between Mars and Jupiter early last Sunday.

SKY WATCH: Celestial spectacle in pre-dawn sky

Celestial spectacle in pre-dawn sky

SKY WATCH: The new year starts with a bang for stargazers in this part of the world, writes Dr Ian Griffin.

To the ancient Greeks and Romans, who lived in the northern hemisphere, the ''dog days'' of summer were so called because they occurred around the time when Sirius of the greater dog constellation appeared o rise just before the sun.

Pigafetta's work not recognised

SKY WATCH: This week, Ian Griffin looks at the Magellanic Clouds.

Galactic core a beauty to behold

Galactic core a beauty to behold

Yesterday was a cross-quarter day, marking the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, writes Ian Griffin.

Guided by the stars of Orion

SKYWATCH: Next week's full moon is a great time to start looking for two of the brightest stars.

Chance to explore Sea of Showers

Chance to explore Sea of Showers

This week (at 11.23am on Saturday) the moon reaches first quarter. The moon's phase repeats on average every 29.53 days.

Meteor medley at the weekend

Skywatch: Otago stargazers will have a front-row seat for what will be this year's best meteor shower from Friday to Sunday.

Beauty on the sun

After a long run of cloudy weather at my end of Otago Peninsula over the past few weeks, I have started to suffer from acute astronomical withdrawal syndrome.