Auckland Astronomical Society Inc

Astrophotography Group November
2024-11-18 19:00 - 20:00 (Pacific/Auckland) | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Comet stacking and other features of Deep Sky Stacker with Eric Chiu.

Practical Astronomy November - Variable Stars
2024-11-18 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Observation of variable stars has a long history with amateur astronomy. We will discuss the types of variable stars and how to observe them to obtain scientifically useful data. This is still a valuable activity even with the large survey telescopes, as amateurs can obtain data for stars that are too bright for the large telescopes, or for certain types of variable stars where changes are happening rapidly, the survey scopes cannot be dedicated for short cadence observing of a single star.

Monthly Meeting December - Exploring the Gravitational Wave Universe
2024-12-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Measuring gravitational waves is a revolutionary new way to do astronomy. They were predicted by Einstein, but it was not until 2015, that LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) first detected one of these waves. They were tiny ripples in space itself, generated by the collision of two black holes. Since then, LIGO and its international partners have measured nearly 100 signals. Dr. Lantz explains what we can learn from these bursts of energy and just how it is possible to measure a wave which stretches our detector 1000 times less than the diameter of a proton. And he discusses what’s coming next in our search for these tell-tale ripples in space?
Dr. Lantz is the scientific leader for the Advanced LIGO seismic isolation system.
This will be a rebroadcast of one of the Silicaon Valley Lecture Series.

Practical Astronomy - The Summer Night Sky
2024-12-16 20:15 - 21:15 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This will be one of our quarterly planetarium sessions where we will review the Summer Night Sky using the Planetarium.

Monthly Meeting February - Touching the Sun
2025-02-10 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Despite its familiarity, the Sun is a very different presence from the friendly yellow circle in children’s paintings. Our star is a broiling mass of plasma, with its powerful magnetic fields, twisted by its rotation, capable of producing dramatic events of spectacular beauty and power. Using results from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe – the fastest moving human-made object ever – and ESA’s Solar Orbiter, this spectacular lecture takes a new look at the mysteries of the Sun, and its effects on the Earth.
This lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on 15th January 2024 at Conway Hall, London
Chris is Gresham Professor of Astronomy.
He is also a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, and a Research Fellow at New College.

Practical Astronomy
2025-02-17 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Telescopes and Accessories
This month we will be talking about the various types of telescopes and commonly used accessories.

Introduction to Astronomy March 2025
2025-03-03 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission to Jupiter
Late last year, NASA launched a mission to Jupiter’s moon, Europa, in search of its potential to host life. Tonight, Chris Benton will discuss why NASA chose Europa and what special features attract astronomers and astrobiologists to such a mission. Come along and also learn about the spacecraft, how it will use gravitational assist manoeuvres to reach its destination, its various instruments and the science to be performed.

Monthly Meeting March - Observing with the James Webb Space Telescope: Glimpsing the First Stars
2025-03-10 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Dr. Dan Coe (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Observing with the James Webb Space Telescope: Glimpsing the First Stars
The Webb Telescope was designed to look back in time, to study the first generation of stars, and reveal our cosmic origins. Now in its second year of operation, JWST has already brought us tantalizingly close to our dream of seeing those first stars. Dr. Coe takes us on a profusely illustrated tour of some of the best images and latest results from the telescope, and tells us about his and others’ observations of the most distant stars and galaxies astronomers have ever seen, providing a view of the universe as it was 13 billion years ago.
This is a rebroadcast of one of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series.

Practical Astronomy March - The Autumn Night SKy
2025-03-17 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This will be one of our quarterly planetarium sessions where we will review the Autumn Night Sky using the Planetarium.

Monthly Meeting April - Astrophotography with Rolf Olsen
2025-04-14 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Astrophotography with Rolf Olsen
This week, we are privileged to have world-renowned astrophotographer Rolf Olsen share his expertise with us, discussing his observatory setup, workflow overview, and latest projects.
His many international achievements include the first amateur detection of light echoes from Eta Carina and Supernova 1987A, and the circumstellar disc around Beta Pictoris. Six of his images have been featured as NASA’s Astronomical Picture of the Day, and he has worked in collaboration with three professional astronomy teams for scientific purposes. He will also showcase and discuss his incredible Cantaurus A 320h image and his involvement with the Hubble Ultra Deep Field study.
His website for further information is https://www.rolfolsenastrophotography.com/
We look forward to seeing you all there for this special evening, which promises to be one not to be missed!

Practical Astronomy April 2025 - Deep Sky Objects for the Dark Sky weekend
2025-04-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This month we will be reviewing some deep sky objects well positioned for observing at the Anzac weekend dark sky observing event at the Waharau regional park.

Film Night May 2025
2025-05-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Star by HG Wells.

While it is fiction, it’s Astronomical SF of the very best sort, set in the late 19th Century, when our understanding of multi-body dynamics was getting very good. The animations are made using AI, which is no bad thing – the enthusiasts created it saved a fortune in animating it that way.

Then, this will be followed by Gliese 710 and its expected entry into the Solar System millennia from now.
A short slide show of nearby stars, just to get a grip on what’s in the Local Fluff.

Pratical Astronomy May - Introduction to Astrophotography
2025-05-19 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This talk will cover the basics for getting started with Astrophotography, including cameras, mounts, optics and image processing

Monthly Meeting May - The search for Takapō Meteorite
2025-05-26 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
The search and finding of the Takapō Meteorite and what we have since learnt about it. And Fireballs Aotearoa’s activities over the last year including the search for the Mahoe Meteorite.

Steve Wyn-Harris is a sheep and beef farmer in Central Hawkes Bay. He wrote a weekly national rural column for nearly three decades and has been a broadcaster for as long. He is on the executive of Fireballs Aotearoa, the meteorite search co-ordinator and media liaison for the organization. In 2023 he was awarded an ONZM for services to farming and rural communities.

Steve has also published a children’s book: ‘The Day I Crashed to Earth’ (target audience 5-13) about the finding of the Takapō Meteorite and for $20 anyone is welcome to a copy!

Introduction to Astronomy June 2025
2025-06-02 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
Stellar & Exoplanetary Spectroscopy
Learning to Read the Light
Tonight, you will learn how astronomers read the light from stars to measure their temperature, composition, rotation and much more, plus the atmospheres of distant exoplanets.
We start by explaining how and why atoms absorb and emit light at specific wavelengths before discussing how a prism splits light into its various colours to determine a star’s many properties. This will include a demonstration of a prism and calculating our Sun’s surface temperature, plus images and step-by-step analysis of spectra taken with a local amateur spectrograph. Our discussions will then delve deeper into measuring magnetic fields and surface gravity of stars using this simple technique, before discussing the process and frustrations with analysing the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system.
Come along and see how you can take some of these measurements yourself. This session is for everyone, from beginners to experienced members, who want to learn more about reading the light from stars and other objects.

Monthly Meeting June
2025-06-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
Matariki – Ngā Whetū o te Tau Hou / The Stars of the New Year
Join us at Stardome as we celebrate Matariki in 2025— a time of remembrance, reflection, and renewal under the rising stars of the Māori New Year.
In this immersive planetarium experience, you’ll journey through the night sky to explore the Matariki star cluster and its importance in Aotearoa and te ao Māori. Discover the rich purākau (stories), science, and traditions connected to each of the nine whetū, learn about the Maramataka (the Māori lunar calendar), and reflect on how Matariki guides us through the cycles of the year along with many other significant stars.
Whether you’re reconnecting with Matariki or experiencing it for the first time, this show is a great way to honour the season and gain a deeper appreciation of Māori astronomy and our place within the cosmos.
Mānawatia a Matariki!

Practical Astronomy June - The Winter Night Sky
2025-06-16 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
This will be one of our seasonal Planetarium sessions, where will will review the constellations and deep sky objects of the Winter Night Sky.

Monthly Meeting July
2025-07-14 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
The JWST is the most expensive and powerful telescope astronomers have ever constructed. Its launch in 2021 started a new phase in our exploration of the cosmos, with the observatory’s golden mirrors producing instantly iconic images of the Solar System’s giant planets, nearby star-forming regions and galaxies, and our distant universe. The lecture includes the latest news from its studies of the early universe, a place lit up by what appears to have been a much more spectacular burst of activity than anyone expected.
This lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on 28th May 2025 at Conway Hall, London
Chris is Gresham Professor of Astronomy.
He is also a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, and a Research Fellow at New College.

Practical Astronomy July - Sky Charting Software
2025-07-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Sky Charting software can be used for planning your observing sessions, previewing sky events and even telescope and dome control control. They are also a great educational resource for learning and gaining understanding of some of the jargon used in astronomy. We will use the Open Source desktop application Stellarium to investigate some of these features and also demonstrate the use of a mobile device using the Sky Safari app.

Film Night July - The Planets - 25 years Later
2025-07-28 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Terra Firma
Last month, members of the society were interested in the difference between a volcano crater and meteor crater, as both of these are structures we can see on the surfaces of the earth, and the moon using even the smallest of telescopes. Space travel has let us find vulcanism everywhere in the Solar System, and we are starting to find evidence of it on exoplanets.
Vulcanism on the Earth and Moon
The mighty volcanoes of Mars, and the formation of Mariner Valley
The lava plains of Venus, and its mapping
Vulcanism of the Galilean Moons of Jupiter
The geysers of Triton
Developments since 1999 :
Vulcanism of Venus – observed eruptions
The changing face of Io
Evidence of geological processes of the Exoplanets

Monthly Meeting August - Celestial Songs: A Cosmic Spacetime Symphony
2025-08-11 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
The Universe sings an intricate melody composed of gravitational waves, the cosmic echoes of cataclys-
mic events. Yet it’s only in recent years that we have begun to listen to this space-time symphony. In this
talk, we’ll embark on a journey through the revolutionary advancements in gravitational wave astronomy.
First, we’ll trace our understanding of the subject from the conceptualisation of cosmic ripples in 1916
through to the Nobel Prize-winning gravitational wave discovery of the merger of two black holes. We’ll
then discuss Aotearoa’s contributions to this work. Join us as we uncover the cosmic symphony, tracing
our evolution from theory to discovery in our quest to understand the Universe’s celestial songs.
Dr Avi Vajpeyi is a research fellow working at the University of Auckland and a member of the scientific
collaborations Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Laser Interferometer
Space Antenna (LISA). His work involves “listening” to gravitational waves emitted from black holes collid-
ing with each other.

Practical Astronomy August - Names and Catalogues.
2025-08-18 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Names and Catalogues
Ever wondered about the designations Astronomical Objects such as M 22, NGC 104, HD 207098, or the names given to comets and asteroids. In this talk we will be discussing the IAU naming conventions for celestial objects along with the star and deep sky catalogues commonly encountered by amateur astronomers.

Film Night August 2025 - The Planets , 25 years later : Giants
2025-08-25 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
The gas-giant planets of our Solar System have been the subject of interest and study for millennia. Their light and brightness gave them titles from that of Ancient Roman gods. When Galileo Galilei turned his telescope to Jupiter, he was able to prove that not everything revolves around the sun, and so started the development of Astronomy as one of the cornerstones of science and knowledge. After learning to fly, we started to explore the Solar System soon thereafter. The best ships we had could get us to Jupiter, and it was supreme good fortune that the Grand Opportunity arrived in the 1970’s to allow Pioneer 10 & 11, and then Voyager 1 and 2 to visit the giant planets, and their moons, for the first time.
Since then, humanity has returned to the Giants, and there are more plans to do so. Observations from the earth, and earth orbit, continue to reveal new things about the giants, both in this solar system, and beyond.
Understanding why we are here : Jupiter, the asteroid belt, and gravitational sweeping.
Returning to the Giants : Juno, and more to come.
Jupiter and Saturn’s growing retinue of moons (there are hundreds now !)
The Vera C. Rubin observatory and the Giants – more moons are likely.
Looking for life – exploration of Europa and Titan
The outer worlds – the Jupiter-class gas giants orbiting other stars – the Space Oddities.

Practical Astronomical September - The Spring Night Sky
2025-09-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
This will be one of our quarterly Planetarium sessions, where we will review the Spring Night Sky. We will go over the main constellations of the Spring Night Sky and some of the deep sky objects to be found in them

Film Night September - The Planets - 25 Years Later : Moon
2025-09-22 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Planets – 25 Years Later : Moon
The Earth’s moon has been the companion in the sky, marking the seasons, the year, the tides, and even the biology of all life on earth. But what is it ? From rock, to a dust ball – to green cheese – speculation has abounded until 1957 when the first spacecraft of human construction, Sputnik 1, opened the Solar System to human exploration. The moon was one of our earliest targets, as the nearest – and most arrestingly mysterious yet beautiful – celestial body. Men flew around the moon in 1968 with Apollo 8 at Christmas time that troubled year, and landed on the moon in July 1969 with the success of Apollo 11 – and humanity at last touched, and walked on the moon. Since that time, and since 1999, there’s been a lot of exploration of the moon – and there is more to come. And that’s before we consider the other moons of the Solar System, still more amazing…
Refinements in lunar exploration, with low orbits, pioneered with Clementine (after which a lunar orbit is named)
Irrefutable proof we went there – photos of the landers from the exploration ships of multiple countries
Still going strong since 1969 – the ALSEP laser reflectors. Dusty, but working…
Captures of lunar impacts by amateurs in recent years – there are new craters being made all the time…
The discovery of water ice at both poles of the moon.
The rediscovery of the concept of the ‘Lunar Arecibo’ on the Dark Side
Triumphs of the Kerbal Space Program in terms of recent lunar mishaps of landers ….
Forthcoming explorations of the moon by robot probe and manned missions in the years to come

Monthly Meeting October - The Messy Eating Habits of Black Holes
2025-10-13 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
When an unsuspecting star wanders too close to a supermassive black hole, the star can be ripped apart by the black hole’s immense gravity. As the black hole messily feeds on the star, it produces an amazing display of light as bright as ten billion suns for many months. Using new surveys, astronomers are finding these hungry black holes throughout the Universe. Recently, it has been discovered that many years after feeding, these black holes sometimes produce a “heartbeat” of X-ray eruptions that repeat every several hours. Dr. Piro will describe some of the best theories to explain this mystery and what they can teach us about these enigmatic objects. Dr. Anthony Piro – Staff Scientist, Carnegie Science Observatories.

This is a rescreening of a Carnegie Science Lecture.

Meeting will be followed by tea, coffee and snacks.

Practical Astronomy October - Names and Catalogues
2025-10-20 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
This month we will be discussing the naming conventions for Celestial objects.

Film Night October - The Planets - 25 Years Later : Star
2025-10-27 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
The Planets – 25 Years Later : Star

The sun is literally the centre of the Solar System – indeed, it takes its name from the Roman personification of the Sun as deity, in Latin.
For most of humanity’s time on the Earth, the sun has often been seen as the epitome of perfection of form, and agreed upon as the source of all light, warmth and energy – which it is.
But how does the sun relate to the Planets ? Starting with Galileo Galilei, we learned that the sun is not perfect – there are sunspots.
Father Giovanni Secchi at the Vatican observatory proved spectroscopically that the Sun is a star.
With time, we have come to know that the planets formed together with the sun – and the observed development of the planetary systems of other stars has confirmed this more and more as time goes by.
The influence of the sun is very great – even at the poles in complete darkness, the Solar Wind paints Aurorae on the skies above. Eugene Parker computed that there would be a supersonic solar wind – and exploration of
Mercury in the space age proved him to have been conservative – the sun is even more violent. The Skylab mission, and Voyager 2 have both expanded our conception of the limits of the Sun and
the Solar System in turn.

Since 1999, the Sun continues to fuel science and exploration :

Orbiting Observatories of the Sun – SOHO, Ulysses – and the mapping of the Corona, as well as the and discovery of new comets.
The Parker solar probe – in flight since 2018, doing Coronal dives
The Solar Space Fleet – STEREO, Parker, PUNCH, Hinode
Aurorae of the Gas Giants
Imaging the stars – The spots of Betelguese and other stars
Exoplanets and their aurorae visible from light years away
The Star Upon the Earth – controlled fusion reactors of the future.

Monthly Meeting November - Strange Nature of Time across the Universe - how does time work in Einstein’s cosmos
2025-11-03 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
Strange Nature of Time across the Universe – how does time work in Einstein’s cosmos
Time. We never seem to have enough of it. Clocks tick reliably, one second at a time, as deadlines loom. Yet in our modern understanding of the universe, time loses its rigidity and reveals a more fluid nature. In this talk, we’ll explore the nature of time across the cosmos and examine the experiments that show how time once ran slower, much, much slower, when the universe was young. But what does this relative nature of time truly mean? Could it offer a way to gain more time to meet our deadlines? And what does it imply for one of the greatest mysteries in physics: is it possible to break the barrier and actually travel through time?
Geraint F. Lewis was born in Old South Wales and studied astrophysics at the University of London before earning his PhD from Cambridge in 1995. After research positions in the US and Canada, he moved to Australia in 2000, where he is now Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Sydney. His research spans the influence of dark energy and dark matter on cosmic evolution, the use of gravitational lensing to probe the nature of quasars and the distribution of dark matter, and the dynamics of galactic cannibalism in the Local Group. Geraint is also a passionate science communicator, with several books and numerous public talks exploring the deep questions of cosmology, physics and the meaning of reality.

Introduction to Astronomy November 2025
2025-11-10 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Depth of The Night Sky (An Introduction)
by guest speaker: Jonathan Park
When we look up at the night sky, it’s easy to imagine that all the stars are placed on a great celestial dome above us. But we know that they lie at vastly different distances, scattered across space, some near and others hundreds of light-years away. In this talk, we’ll look at some familiar groups of stars, using graphics to travel away from Earth to view them from different directions. This will help you to get a feel for these distances. While on the topic of how far away these stars are, here’s an interesting fact: the speed of light is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second (no additional decimal places, no uncertainty), and this means we can now define a light-year to 100% precision! You’ll find out how this works tonight. We will also learn a little about some of these stars – are any binary, triple, or more? How big and hot are they? Do some of them have planets? One is a fascinating system of at least five stars orbiting each other in a very complex pattern.
This talk includes a selection of familiar stars visible to the naked eye, and is suitable for all ages and levels of astronomy knowledge. It may even change how you think about the stars you see at night.
