Matariki: Searching the night sky

Matariki, with its focus on the night sky and the appearance of Pleiades, gives us an opportunity to explore the stars and galaxies that surround our planet.

The Māori often turned factual information into entertaining tales – it made things easy to remember. In this way, stars became people of the sky. They were the offspring of Rangi (the Sky) and Papa (the Earth). They, also, had children. These whakapapa (family ties), were a way of illustrating the links between the stars and the seasonal cycle on the land.

To help you take a closer look at the final frontier, here are some resources to help you on your journey.

We recommend: Matariki, space and astronomy resources

Our online resources:

• Astronomy organisations from the CINCH database
• The Canterbury Astronomy Society hosts regular open nights and one is scheduled for Friday, June 15.
• Links to Christchurch sky charts and solar and lunar data from localeye

Our Internet Gateway recommends:

• Matariki sites that have astronomy and space links
• Astronomy and science websites
• Taati Arorangi – a guide to Maori astronomy
• The Carter Observatory
• The Mt John Observatory in Tekapo

Browse the resources in our libraries:

• New Zealand Astronomy titles
• Star guides and a star chart
• Information on telescopes
• Stars and galaxies through the Hubble telescope
• How to be an astronaut for children