Home » October 2019 »Regular Features » Currently Reading:

Under The Martinborough Stars

October 14, 2019 October 2019, Regular Features No Comments

The Milky Way (Photo: Lee Mauger)

Take a look up tonight and you’ll see a sparkling silver band of stars dominating the night sky. Our home, the Milky Way Galaxy is always worth looking at.

The Milky Way has always fascinated throughout time and amongst all cultures. The term Milky Way relates to a story from the Ancient Greeks where milk was spilt across the sky. 

Here in Aotearoa, it is known as the Great Waka with Tautoru/Orion’s Belt and Te Matau a Maui/ Scorpius at either end. The Southern Cross is the anchor known as Te Punga and the pointer stars are the ropes. By the start of Summer, the Waka lies parallel to the horizon. It shows Māori voyagers that it is a good time to start a journey across the seas as the weather is calm.

In other cultures, the Milky Way is seen as a Silver River, a road of straw, a path of birds and our Australian neighbours see it as a path to the skyworld. No matter what we call it, we are all looking at the same Galaxy; our home. 

The Milky Way is huge; it’s one of the largest galaxies in our local area of the Universe. It is over 100,000 light years across with at least 200 billion stars. 

In the centre of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole which is holding the galaxy together. The centre is the thick bulge near Scorpius and Jupiter. There are at least 10,000 other black holes scattered around the Milky Way.

The Milky Way is often described as a flat disc, imagine a fried egg with the yolk as the centre bulge. Another way to think about it is that it looks similar to a drunk octopus. 

It is sometimes difficult to comprehend the size of the Milky Way. Hold your hand flat and imagine a grain of sand in the centre. That grain is the Sun. Now close your hand into a fist and this represents the size of the Solar System. The Milky Way in comparison would be the size of Australia.

Next time you are outside look up and take a second look at the Milky Way. Try a moonless night and head to a dark area. 

The Martinborough Dark Sky Society are aiming to deliver a dark sky reserve within the Wairarapa so visitors and locals will be able to see the Milky Way even within the town centre.  Star Field, the newly opened dark sky site 10 minutes outside Martinborough is a great place to see the Milky Way. The detail you can see with your naked eye is incredible.

You can help protect the night sky by simply reducing your own outside lighting at your house; as a collective we can all make a huge difference. To find out more go to the Martinborough Dark Sky Society and Star Field Ltd websites.

Becky Bateman runs the nomadic astronomy service Under The Stars

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