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astronomy

SMART – Māori astronomy

Article

SMART – Māori astronomy

Tātai arorangi, Māori astronomical knowledge, is fundamental to te ao Māori. It forms a significant pillar of whakapapa stretching back ...

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Fascinating astronomy

Article

Fascinating astronomy

Astronomy is a fascinating, complex and deeply rewarding subject. Celestial objects have been studied by humankind for millennia and are ...

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Space revealed – introduction

Article

Space revealed – introduction

Astronomers studying space have two big problems:

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Aotearoa New Zealand in space – an introduction

Article

Aotearoa New Zealand in space – an introduction

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in the space sector? It goes way beyond astronauts ...

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Aotearoa in space – a context for learning

Teacher PLD

Aotearoa in space – a context for learning

Although Aotearoa New Zealand is a relative newcomer to the international space industry, a deep knowledge of space enabled early ...

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Te Kāhui o Matariki – introduction

Article

Te Kāhui o Matariki – introduction

Winter brings opportunities to view the night sky and the opportunity to incorporate authentic cross-curricular science learning. Aotearoa first celebrated Matariki as an official public holiday ...

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Capturing space junk and bringing it back to Earth

Article

Capturing space junk and bringing it back to Earth

This article has been republished from The Conversation under Creative Commons licence CC BY-ND 4.0. It was written by Ralph Cooney, Professor Emeritus in Advanced Materials, ...

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Working in the space sector

Article

Working in the space sector

In the 20th century, most people would have considered being an astronaut the number one job related to space. Now, in the 21st century, opportunities to ...

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Tāwhaki – ecosystems restoration and aerospace opportunities

Article

Tāwhaki – ecosystems restoration and aerospace opportunities

Space and aerospace projects can have positive impacts on Aotearoa New Zealand that you might not expect. For instance, our space industry brings important opportunities to ...

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Te ao Māori – space whakapapa

Article

Te ao Māori – space whakapapa

In te ao Māori, space has a complex and extensive whakapapa. The narratives differ from iwi to iwi but follow similar themes. Māori astronomy is fundamental ...

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Space debris

Article

Space debris

When we talk about space, we often mention big numbers – after all, space is vast. When it comes to space debris, the numbers may surprise ...

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Hunting galaxies far far away – here’s how anyone can explore the universe

Article

Hunting galaxies far far away – here’s how anyone can explore the universe

Astronomer, Dr Sara Webb is fascinated about viewing distant galaxies. She is a galaxy hunter and explores the universe through the eyes of many different telescopes ...

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Defending the dark

Article

Defending the dark

This article explores light pollution and practical ways to minimise it. Readers are introduced to key science ideas including the Bortle scale (a way to measure ...

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Light and shadows

Article

Light and shadows

When children draw pictures of the Sun, they often show rays radiating outwards – similar to the image below. At this stage of our Sun’s life ...

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Eclipse 101

Article

Eclipse 101

An eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when something obscures something else – it eclipses it! This may sound very simple, but there are various ...

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The Moon and its misconceptions

Article

The Moon and its misconceptions

A significant part of our nightscape, the Moon has been the subject of myths, alternative conceptions and conspiracies for decades. Let’s take a look at some ...

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The <i>Curiosity</i> rover

Article

The Curiosity rover

On 5 August 2017, 54.6 million kilometres from Earth, amongst the red dust and rocks, the familiar tune of Happy Birthday sang out on Mars as ...

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Mission to touch the Sun

Article

Mission to touch the Sun

In 2018, NASA launched a thrilling mission unlike any other to date. From Cape Canaveral, the Parker Solar Probe was scheduled to launch within a small ...

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The Matariki star cluster

Article

The Matariki star cluster

Using the Matariki star cluster as a context for learning can cover many different subjects. Matariki is also known as the Pleiades, and it is a ...

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The mystery of black holes

Article

The mystery of black holes

Black holes are a scientific mystery – there is so much still to discover. The first image of a black hole was captured in April 2019. ...

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How a Solar System is formed

Article

How a Solar System is formed

Our Solar System, and all other star systems, form from a collapsing nebula. Often called stellar nurseries, nebulae are the birthplace of stars. They are made ...

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Revitalising Māori astronomy

Article

Revitalising Māori astronomy

Māori ancestors possessed a wealth of astronomical knowledge that they referred to as tātai arorangi. The knowledge was important for many aspects of daily life, from ...

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Investigating rockets – key terms

Article

Investigating rockets – key terms

Taking science and technology to new heights. Rocket science includes ideas of forces and motion, how rockets work and some of the challenges for those wanting ...

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Comets

Article

Comets

In November 2014, the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta Mission landed a space probe called Philae onto the surface of Comet 67P, while Rosetta continued to ...

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To catch a comet – the Rosetta Mission

Article

To catch a comet – the Rosetta Mission

The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Rosetta spacecraft from Earth in March 2004. It then took Rosetta 10 years to catch Comet 67P. Avionics engineer ...

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Waka revival

Article

Waka revival

Waka is the Māori word for canoe. Māori ancestors were great canoe builders, navigators and sailors. Thousands of years ago, Māori ancestors left South-East Asia, moving ...

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