Between the lines

The soul of the night - astronomy

Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades in Ancient Greek, Subaru in Japanese and for Hawaiians, Makali’i. Matariki is special because it heralds the start of the new year and to see it clearly in the dawn skies is a sign that the year ahead will be a good year for crops.

SKY SPOTTER – March 2021 - From https://www.stardome.org.nz/astronomy/star-charts/

Mars remains the only planet in our evening sky as it slowly sinks towards the northwest horizon. It should not be confused with the orange-coloured star Aldebaran. This star (the eye of Taurus the bull) appears to approach Mars from above and is off to its left by month’s end. Early in the month, the Matariki cluster slips below Mars. The Moon is close-by from the 18th to 20th.

Above them, Orion (the hunter) dominates the north-western sky. Orion’s belt is almost vertical, pointing down through Taurus (the bull), to Matariki, and up to brilliant Sirius of Canis Major (the big dog).

Towards north, partway up the sky, the Gemini twins Castor and Pollux drift westward. Above them, Canis Minor’s two brightest stars lie at a similar angle. To the twins’ right, the sickle shape of Leo (the lion) approaches from the northeast while the distorted quadrilateral of Corvus (the crow) stands out in the east. Below Corvus, bright Spica of Virgo is rising.

Partway up the south-eastern sky, Crux is on its side pointing back to Corvus. Canopus, the night’s second brightest star, is very high in the south, outshone only by Sirius further north. Together these stars drift lazily westward during March. The Milky Way is high in the sky and threads its way through Crux towards the so-called ‘winter’ triangle (formed by Sirius, Betelgeuse and Procyon) in the north.

Prior to sunrise, Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury jazz up the eastern sky all month. The Moon sweeps by from 9th to the 12th.

SKY GUIDE AUTUMN

MAR 2020  I  APR 2021  I  MAY 2021

As the Autumn nights get longer and cooler some new landmarks of the night sky come into view. During March, early in the night, Canis Major and Orion (the Hunter) are well placed for viewing and well-worth exploring with binoculars. High in the north there are three bright stars in a line. These stars make up the ‘Belt of Orion’, one of the most distinctive landmarks of the night sky – and commonly called ‘The Pot’.

Extending the line of the Belt stars to the east you will find Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Extend the line to the west from the Belt and you will find the orange star, Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus. Continue that line further to the west and you will find the beautiful star cluster, the Pleiades – known to us in Aotearoa as Matariki – but be sure to look in March and April, as Matariki will be hidden by the Sun in May.

Back at Orion’s Belt, identify the bright stars Rigel (white) and Betelgeuse (reddish) which, in early Autumn, are above and below the belt, respectively. Those two bright stars, together with two slightly fainter ones enclose most of Orion with the belt being in the middle. A small line of fainter stars above and left of the belt marks Orion’s sword. One of these ‘stars’ is the magnificent Orion Nebula (M42), the closest massive star forming region to us. It is a stunning sight even in backyard telescopes.

By May, Orion is setting early and is replaced by Crux, Carina and Centaurus in the south, as the major features of our autumn skies.

During March, Canopus is high overhead. Canopus, Atutahi to Māori, was a key guide star used by the Polynesian voyagers and today it is used to guide interplanetary spacecraft.

By May, Canopus will be found in the southwest while Crux (the Southern Cross), rising in the southeast is high in the southern sky. This is a very rich stellar region to explore with binoculars.

Scorpius, also known as Maui’s Fish Hook, is seen rising around midnight in March. By the month of May, it will be rising in the early evening and will remain the dominant feature of our evening sky until Spring.

Visibility of the Naked-Eye Planets

MERCURY

Early in March, Mercury can be seen low in the eastern sky before dawn in company with Jupiter and Saturn. By the end of March, it will be very hard to spot in the dawn glare. It passes behind the Sun around April 20 and in late May will be just visible low in the western sky after sunset. On May 29 it will be very close to Venus which is much brighter.

VENUS

Venus will be low in the pre-dawn eastern sky during March but will too close to the Sun to spot until late in May when it can be seen low in the west soon after sunset.

MARS

Mars will be seen low in the northwest during March, passing close to the red star Aldebaran (the eye of the Bull in Taurus). The crescent Moon passes them over the nights of 19-20 March. By Anzac Day it is setting by 8.30pm.

JUPITER AND SATURN

'Twinkling in the winter sky just before dawn, Matariki (the Pleiades) signals the Māori New Year. For Māori, the appearance of Matariki heralds a time of remembrance, joy and peace. It is a time for communities to come together and celebrate. In the 2000s, it became more common for both Māori and Pākeha to celebrate Matariki. From 2022, a public holiday marking Matariki will be held in June or July each year.'

https://teara.govt.nz/en/matariki-maori-new-year