skywatch

As twilight falls tonight, a celestial marvel will grace our evening sky: the planet Venus.

Each year, at approximately 5.15pm on April 21/22 and August 21/22, the sun sets directly behind the Mount Cargill Antenna, as viewed from my home in Portobello.

On Monday at 9.26pm, the moon will reach its last quarter, causing it to rise progressively later after midnight throughout the week.

You might think that writing a weekly astronomy column is challenging due to the slow pace of change in the cosmos.

On Monday afternoon at 4.15 and 51 seconds, it will be precisely four years until the peak of arguably the most exciting astronomical event ever in Otago.

The "Mother's Day" aurora of 2024 was undoubtedly one of the best seen from these shores in decades.

One of the most captivating books in my antique astronomy collection is Telescopic Work for Starlight Evenings, penned by William F. Denning in 1891.

Yesterday morning, we got to mark the start of the Māori year, as pre-dawn ceremonies across the land celebrated the appearance of Matariki in the morning sky.

On Friday we celebrate New Zealand’s third national Matariki holiday.

During the past six weeks, a stunning comet has been providing a remarkable display in the western sky after sunset.

Viewing Saturn is an unforgettable experience.

There’s a fascinating episode of Star Trek’s original series, "The Tholian Web''.

I write a lot about auroras.

Did you know that Mercury is, on average, not only the closest planet to Earth but also every other planet?

Last weekend, I was reflecting on mortality, as I am sure everyone sometimes does.

If you head out after midnight this month, you can’t miss bright orange Arcturus, some 25 degrees above the northern horizon.

David H. Levy once wrote, "Comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want."