Earth & Sky Ltd., P.O. Box 112, Lake Tekapo 7945, New Zealand.   E-mail: info@earthandsky.co.nz
Phone: +64 (0)3 6806960   Fax: +64 (0)3 6806950

What's Up in Tekapo?!
Quick pick >>  The Moon & Planets  :  Iridium Flares  :  Satellites  :  The Starry Sky  :  Q & A
(Note: this feature requires pop-up windows to be enabled in your web browser.)	Obtain predictions of what's happening in Tekapo, or your sky wherever you live in the world!
You may also find news of interesting objects to see at our Twitter page.

The Moon & Planets
Brightest planet Venus continues to put on a superb show for New Zealanders in the early evening twilight above the west-northwest horizon in the constellation of Virgo. At around 7:15 pm on Saturday, September 4th the sky wil be dark enough to see (weather permitting) Virgo's brightest star, Spica, about the width of a thumb at arm's length below Venus, while planet Mars is situated a similar distance below right of Spica. Ringed-wonder Saturn lies a span of an outstretched hand at arm's length below Venus nearer the western horizon. The largest of the Sun's family of planets, Jupiter, has the appearance of a bright off-white coloured 'star' in Pisces, rising almost due east soon after 8 pm for South Islanders. The 25-day-old waning crescent Moon lies in the constellation of Gemini and makes its appearance in the east-northeast by 5 am Sunday.

Iridium Flares
Have you ever been startled to see what looks like a new star suddenly surge in brightness, only to fade away a few seconds later? If so, chances are you've seen a so-called Iridium flare, caused by sunlight glinting off one of three highly polished door-sized antennas attached to a satellite of the orbiting Iridium communication network (artist's impression right).

Tekapo-based flare watchers have several events to see over the coming week (weather permitting). In conjunction with Heavens Above, we can now provide you with customised interactive viewing predictions for the next seven days — see at a glance when and where in the sky the brightest flares occur and where you need to be to see them at their best. To find out more just click here, or visit our Twitter page for news of the brighter events.

Satellites
If you study the sky carefully any clear night you'll invariably see an artificial satellite or two orbiting the Earth, having the appearance of a faint star moving slowly against the true starry background. (These are not to be confused with meteors, or shooting stars, which flash across the sky in a fraction of a second.) The largest and brightest artificial satellite is the International Space Station (pictured left from a recent Space Shuttle mission).

For customised viewing details of the International Space Station, Space Shuttle (when in orbit) and Hubble Space Telescope for any location worldwide, please click here. (Note: this feature requires pop-up windows to be enabled in your web browser.) Alternatively, visit our Twitter page for news of the best sightings.

The Starry Sky
Cast your gaze high to the southwest early into a Tekapo night and you will currently find Crux, the smallest of the eighty-eight constellations in the entire sky, more popularly known as the Southern Cross. Many people expect this iconic southern constellation to be much bigger, but in reality your clenched fist held at arm's length will easily cover it! (See star chart right.)

If you're not sure which four stars comprise the Southern Cross, locate bright stars Alpha Centauri (the nearest naked-eye nighttime star at a distance of 4.3 light-years) and Beta Centauri that lie just under a span of an outstretched hand at arm's length above Crux which act as the so-called Pointer Stars to the diminutive constellation.

The object labelled as NGC 5139 on the chart is more popularly known as Omega Centauri — a spectacular globular cluster of 4 million stars some 16,000 light-years away. Don’t miss it on one of our stargazing tours, particularly on moonless nights!

The Southern Cross is set against the backdrop of our Galaxy, or the Milky Way, the diffuse band of light composed of thousands of millions of stars that arches overhead from southeast to northwest, best seen on dark, moonless nights. The entire region is rich in star clusters, nebulae and other memorable sights in a pair of binoculars or a telescope.

If we turn to the north as evening twilight fades in New Zealand and look almost overhead we will see Orion's mythological nemesis, Scorpius the Scorpion. (See star chart left.)

The constellation of Scorpius is one of the few that really does look like the creature it is supposed to represent without a great feat of the imagination! It consists of a curved line of stars — about a span and a half of the outstretched hand at arm's length in extent — that nicely represents the sinuous body of the creature, terminating in the sting. The constellation's brightest star is Antares (meaning 'rival of Mars' owing to its orange colour), a red giant 800 times the diameter of our Sun and 600 light-years distant.

On a dark, moonless night the richness of the Milky Way is most evident in this region as we are looking in the general direction of the Galactic centre where the concentration of stars and deep sky objects (labelled orange) is greatest.

To the lower right of Scorpius we find another zodiacal constellation, Sagittarius the Archer. This star group is presently paying host to recently demoted dwarf planet Pluto, once the outermost major planet in our Solar System until it was reclassified in 2006. Pluto appears indistinguishable from a faint star owing to its small size and great distance, but our largest Star Tour telescope will reveal it on moonless nights.

Would you like to find out more about these objects and a multitude of other Southern Hemisphere celestial wonders? If so, then please join any one of our stargazing tours at Mount John or Cowan's Hill — we'd be delighted to show you!

Q & A
Do you have a question about the stars, Sun, Moon or planets that you've always puzzled over? Our Guides may not have answers to "Life, the Universe and Everything", a phrase coined by the late great Douglas Adams, but they're knowledgeable and will do their best to resolve questions posed in the box below! Once you've typed your question (to receive a reply you must include your e-mail address), press the submit button to send it to us:

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