Home » April 2022 » Currently Reading:

Under The Martinborough Stars 

April 7, 2022 April 2022 No Comments

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, 

How I wonder what you are,

Up above the World so high,

Like a Diamond in the sky

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

How I wonder what you are

Whenever I hear this child’s song, I often think of Sirius, the brightest and twinkliest star in the sky. It is easily the brightest star in the sky over Summer and Autumn. It is a particularly beautiful white and diamond-esque star and well-known throughout the world, named colloquially as the dog star.

Sirius is also called Alpha Canis Majoris or the Dog Star, brightest star in the night sky, in Autumn you can find it heading towards the North West. Stars are named using the Greek alphabet, Alpha for your brightest star in the constellation- here being Canis Major, followed by Beta, Gamma, Delta etc. One positive from COVID is that we are all getting pretty good at our Greek alphabet over the last two years.

Like most of the stars we see in the sky, it has a companion star, imaginatively named Sirius B.  Sirius A is the brightest of the pair, a blue-white star, 25 times as luminous, larger and much hotter than our own Sun. Its distance from us is 8.6 light-years away, meaning the light has taken 8.6 years to reach us, travelling at the speed of light. In comparison our Sun’s light takes only 8 and a half minutes to reach us travelling at the same speed.

Astronomy is all about reading the sky, to work out when to do things, it’s basically a giant calendar. For example, when Sirius made its first heliacal rising in Egypt (i.e., rose just before sunrise) of the year, it was coincidental at the same time that the annual floods were beginning in the Nile river delta. They long believed that this star actually caused the Nile floods. 

Here in New Zealand, it is often known as Takurua, the ‘Winter Maiden’ as it rises in the morning sky to the right of the star cluster Matariki in June. 

Sirius- the star and the word can be found all over the place. It’s named for ships, on flags, coats of arms, cars, radio stations, and is hugely popular in sci fi.  But you probably recognise the name from Harry Potter, Sirius Black who can turn into a black dog (sorry spoilers!) 

So over the next few weeks, when Orion is still in the sky, trace through the three belt stars of the constellation up and right and you will land straight on Sirius. Using constellations to find other stars is called star hopping- give it a go next time you are out. Can you make out the shape of the dog?

Becky Bateman, owner of Under The Stars, an award winning Wairarapa Astro-Tourism business

Image credit: NASA

Comment on this Article:

FEATURED BUSINESSES

Sports

Golf pro-am success _ without clubhouse

By Karen Stephens A record field of 172 players, including 43 professionals from New Zealand and Australia, battled light winds, warm temperatures and even light early-morning fog at Martinborough golf’s 2024 CER Electrical and Holmes Construction pro-am on February 1. At least that was the range of excuses for some …

Featherston wrestlers go offshore

Two members of Featherston Amateur Wrestling Club’s senior class have again been asked to join a New Zealand team overseas.  Wairangi Sargent and Angus Read will take part in the Journeymen Tournament and Training Camp over Easter in New York state.  Over the week they are there they will be …

Martinborough Golf Club has tumbled down

The demolition of the Martinborough Golf Club is complete. In the last days prior to Christmas a fully-insulated pole shed, much like a top end farm outbuilding, was erected to act as both office and temporary clubhouse. New septic tanks, internet connectivity, power, water, and Porticom loos were installed. On …

Regular Features

News from First Church

 Many folk imagine that going to church is a bit of an ordeal, a waste …

FROM THE MAYOR

By Martin Connelly In February the local Lions Club invited me for dinner and asked …

Driving Growth and Collaboration: Martinborough Business Assn Committee

The Martinborough Business Association Committee plays an important role in fostering economic growth and collaboration …

How Well Do We Know People in our Community?

Michael Bing talks to Lyle Griffiths Michael was raised in Auckland, attending St Peters College …

BOOK REVIEWS FOR HOT SUMMER DAYS

By Brenda Channer – Martinborough Bookshop “Whether Violent or Natural” by Natasha Calder This debut …

Community Garden News

By Debbie Yates This is definitely the month of thank you. Nga Mihi Nui! We …

EVENTS

Saturday 10 February: 10th annual Citizen Science Kākahi Count at Western Lake Shore Reserve, 18km …

Recent Comments