Sky archive

These pages have lived at the same addresses on this domain since 2003 to 2006. The originals were short photo pages; what you will find now is new writing on the same subjects, revised for current equipment and forecasting tools.

• Astronomy Day in New Zealand April 2003
  What International Astronomy Day is, how New Zealand societies and observatories run open nights, how to find a local event, and tips for first-time visitors.
• Aurora australis in New Zealand: the basics June 2003
  What the southern aurora is, why the south of New Zealand sees it most, where its colours come from, and how to tell real aurora from town skyglow.
• Aurora watching from Wellington's south-facing hills September 2005
  Where to watch for aurora around Pōneke Wellington: south coast bays, high lookouts, Makara and the Wairarapa, plus wind, safety and Cook Strait cloud.
• Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT): the naked-eye comet of May 2004 May 2004
  Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) was a naked-eye sight from New Zealand's dark skies in May 2004. What it looked like, how it moved, and how to find current comets.
• Comet NEAT (C/2002 V1) in the March 2003 twilight March 2003
  Comet NEAT C/2002 V1 swung close to the Sun in February 2003, then sat low in New Zealand's evening twilight. How comets are named and how to catch low ones.
• Deep-sky imaging targets for the southern hemisphere March 2006
  Eight showpiece southern deep-sky targets for telephoto lenses and small refractors, with stacking tips and a month-by-month guide for New Zealand evenings.
• Finding the planets from New Zealand June 2006
  Finding the planets from New Zealand: the ecliptic, why northern charts look upside down, twilight Venus and Mercury, and what a small telescope shows.
• How to see and photograph the aurora australis July 2005
  A step-by-step guide to seeing the southern lights from New Zealand: alerts, where to go, dark adaptation, camera settings and what to expect on the night.
• Lunar eclipses from New Zealand October 2005
  Why a totally eclipsed Moon turns red, how to rate it on the Danjon scale, how to photograph a lunar eclipse and where to find upcoming eclipses seen from NZ.
• Moon halos, moonbows and other lunar sky effects February 2004
  Lunar halos, coronas, moonbows and the moon illusion explained for New Zealand skywatchers, with tips on when to look and how to photograph them.
• New Zealand astronomy links April 2003
  A curated directory of New Zealand and international astronomy links: societies, observatories, dark sky places, weather, space weather and sky tools.
• Observing and imaging the Sun safely February 2004
  Safe ways to observe the Sun from New Zealand: certified white-light filters, projection, hydrogen-alpha scopes, sunspots, the solar cycle and imaging basics.
• Sun halos and sundogs over New Zealand February 2006
  How 22-degree halos, sundogs, circumzenithal arcs and sun pillars form in New Zealand skies, where to look for them and how to watch without hurting your eyes.
• The great solar storms of late 2003, seen from New Zealand November 2003
  The 2003 Halloween solar storms: record X-class flares, aurora across the southern hemisphere, and how they compare with the great storm of May 2024.
• Timing lunar occultations from New Zealand June 2005
  What lunar, grazing and asteroid occultations are, why precise timing still matters, and how New Zealand observers record them with GPS-timed video.