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skywatch

The MixJuly 17

Line of serendipity

There is something odd about the photograph accompanying this week’s column.
Line of serendipity
Line of serendipity
The MixJuly 10

From Pleiades to Matariki: A journey home

I grew up knowing these stars by another name.
From Pleiades to Matariki: A journey home
From Pleiades to Matariki: A journey home
The MixJuly 3

For those who look longer

These evenings, you can hardly miss the brightest planet in the sky.
For those who look longer
For those who look longer
The MixJune 26

The return on curiosity

Last Sunday was the winter solstice, the year’s longest night and one of the best times to see the bright heart of our Milky Way arching across the southern sky.
The return on curiosity
The return on curiosity
The MixJune 19

The cloud that waits

Last Friday night I spent several hours photographing the aurora.
The cloud that waits
The cloud that waits
The MixJune 12

In praise of darkness

George Eliot wrote that if we could truly perceive the fullness of ordinary life, it would be like hearing the grass grow.
In praise of darkness
In praise of darkness
The MixJune 7

Belonging in the universe

There is a letter in my files that I occasionally take out and read.
Belonging in the universe
Belonging in the universe
The MixMay 29

A moon to watch with pumpkin soup

A reporter called to ask me about the strawberry moon. That’s what they’re calling Sunday night’s full moon.
A moon to watch with pumpkin soup
A moon to watch with pumpkin soup
The MixMay 15

Off the chain

It strikes me as quietly ridiculous, sitting in Middlemarch with a telescope barely bigger than a coffee mug, peering 60 million light-years into the dark.
Off the chain
Off the chain
The MixMay 8

Cool cat saunters by

There is a small, untidy visitor in the evening sky this week, one that does not keep to schedules or respect expectations.
Cool cat saunters by
Cool cat saunters by
The MixApril 17

Planets gather as the sky decides

There’s a short window before sunrise when the sky feels undecided.
Planets gather as the sky decides
Planets gather as the sky decides
The MixApril 10

Astonishment still growing

Tiny telescope, big discoveries.
Astonishment still growing
Astonishment still growing
The MixApril 3

Hype here second time around

Dunedin is preparing itself for a magnificent celestial event. Committees are forming. Plans are being drawn up. Accommodation, one suspects, will soon be priced as if the Sun itself were staying the night. All this for the total solar eclipse of July 22, 2028 — a rare and rather beautiful interruption to the usual order of things.
Hype here second time around
Hype here second time around
The MixMarch 27

Value the darkness before it goes

A confession: I am not, by nature, a political animal. I prefer my debates to be settled by photons rather than policy.
Value the darkness before it goes
Value the darkness before it goes
The MixMarch 20

Two visions of the same aurora

Autumn has arrived in Middlemarch.
Two visions of the same aurora
Two visions of the same aurora
The MixMarch 13

Visitors among us

Every now and then an astronomer finds themselves asking a question that sounds faintly ridiculous but is, in fact, perfectly reasonable.
Visitors among us
Visitors among us
The MixMarch 8

Working together to learn more

On calm nights in Middlemarch, when the wind drops and the paddocks fall quiet, my usual practice is to step outside before bed and gaze upwards.
Working together to learn more
Working together to learn more
The MixFebruary 27

Lunar eclipse perfectly placed

On Tuesday evening, as the last light fades over Otago Harbour and the first stars appear, something rather wonderful will begin.
Lunar eclipse perfectly placed
Lunar eclipse perfectly placed
The MixFebruary 20

Tuesday’s triangle in Taurus

On Tuesday night, just after dinner, step outside and look east.
Tuesday’s triangle in Taurus
Tuesday’s triangle in Taurus
SouthlandFebruary 17

Sky’s chemistry creates jewel

The nights are starting to feel like autumn again — colder, steadier: the sort of air that makes the stars look as though someone has polished them.
Sky’s chemistry creates jewel
Sky’s chemistry creates jewel
The MixFebruary 14

Sky’s chemistry creates jewel

Out here in the Strath Taieri, the nights have started to feel like autumn again — colder, steadier: the sort of air that makes the stars look as though someone has polished them.
Sky’s chemistry creates jewel
Sky’s chemistry creates jewel
The MixFebruary 6

A fleeting visit

Out at Middlemarch, the night has a way of settling in properly.
A fleeting visit
A fleeting visit
The MixJanuary 30

Fashionably late to my own party

Space weather, I’ve learned, behaves very much like normal weather.
Fashionably late to my own party
Fashionably late to my own party
The MixJanuary 24

Warmed by the moon’s smile

The moon has been keeping me company again this week, lifting itself into the evening sky with a calm, unhurried assurance.
Warmed by the moon’s smile
Warmed by the moon’s smile
The MixJanuary 16

Hot tub astronomy in summer

The western horizon from my Middlemarch place has improved markedly of late.
Hot tub astronomy in summer
Hot tub astronomy in summer