Wellington Astronomical Society is an incorporated society and registered charity for promoting astronomy in and around the Wellington region.
Upcoming Events
Our latest events are always in the Events section of our Facebook Page. (It’s public, so you don’t need to be a Facebook user to see it)
November 2026 Monthly Meeting – it’s our AGM
When: Wednesday 4th October at 7:30 pm
Where: Space Place, Carter Observatory, 40 Salamanca Road, Kelburn
Meeting will also be on Zoom: Meeting ID 868 3785 7650, Passcode: 155311
Speakers: Steve Wyn-Harris
Subject: The search for Ruamāhanga – the latest news from Fireballs Aotearoa
Attend the AGM and be in the prize draw!
Your chance to stand for Council –
go ahead, nominate yourself
(or ask the Secretary to nominate you)
Agenda
Minutes of the 2025 meeting
Matters arising
President’s Report
Financial Report
Curator of Instruments’ Report
Resolutions
Election of Officers (there are several vacancies on Council)
Honorary Members
Constitutional Changes
General business
We will hold the prize draw at the end of the meeting
The Minutes of the 2025 AGM are here.
Dark sky observing
WAS Astrophotography Group / Dark Sky Observing
When: Saturday 31st of October and 7th of November from 7:30 pm onwards. Weather permitting.
Where: Star Field, John Whitby’s dark sky site in the southern Wairarapa.
New Moon is on 11th October and 9th November.
‘Star Field is at the heart of the newly accredited Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve, the second dark sky reserve in Aotearoa NZ. (The first is the Aoraki/Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve in the South Island.)
If you’ve never seen the night sky from a dark-sky site before, this will be unforgettable. Antony will give you a tour of the sky with his laser pointer before we get on the telescopes. There is also a lot of expertise available for anyone wanting to photograph the night sky.
This is a free members-only Society event. (To join Wellington Astronomical Society: here’s the link.) Members are most welcome to bring friends but please let us know in advance. Non-members pay $20 each to attend; children $5.
How to register: Contacting us through Facebook Messenger or by emailing events@was.org.nz if you are planning to go. Please include your email address and mobile number in the message text if using Facebook Messenger. Directions to the site and any updates will be emailed out. You are welcome to spend the night on-site (in your tent or in your car), but please tell us if you intend to do so.
What to bring:
Warm clothes, as it gets pretty cold at night, beanie, gloves etc.
Snacks if you want.
Warm drinks are provided.
A warm room is available if you need warming up.
A flush toilet is available on-site.
For astrophotography, bring:
A DSLR or mirrorless camera,
A wide angle lens (preferably),
A tripod to fix the camera to.
Be careful with car headlights when you arrive. With people taking photos, please keep lights to a minimum (use red lights if you can), especially car headlights (use parking lights).
This event will be updated on the WAS Facebook page by the afternoon of the day of the event if the weather forecast is not looking good.
For those just interested in Deep Sky observing, telescopes will be provided unless you want to bring your own.
Star Field is a dark sky site made available to members of the Wellington Astronomical Society through the generosity of John Whitby.
Outreach News
Holly writes:
The WAS Outreach Team is a group of volunteers who bring astronomy to schools, community groups, and public events. With daylight saving just around the corner, we’re making the most of the longer evenings with a few upcoming events.
A special thank you to the new volunteers who joined us this month!
Upcoming Outreach Events
100 Hours of Astronomy
1–4 October
Thursday 1 October ‘The evening planets’ – meet in front of SpacePlace 7.30 pm
Friday 2 October ‘The evening planets’ – Petone Esplanade meet by the Settlers Museum 7.30 pm
Saturday 3 October ‘The morning planets’ – Wellington Waterfront, meet by the bridge over the lagoon. 5.30-7.00 am
Sunday 4 October Whitby Solar System walk – 2-5 pm, start at 67 Mercury Way, Whitby.
Saturday 10 October Solar scopes – Thorndon Farmers Market from 9am
Keep an eye on the WAS social media pages and upcoming newsletters for event information.
September highlights
The Outreach Team has been busy sharing the night sky with our community.
Saturday 5th September – Dark Sky event in Wairarapa
After so many frustrating cancellations because of the weather, we were finally rewarded with crystal-clear, beautifully dark skies at Star Field in the Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve. There was a group of around 10 of us including 2 children who knew the Milky Way as the Silver River. How cool is that!
People were in awe of Saturn (Rongo, Pareārau) and its rings. Venus (Kōpū) was dazzlingly bright despite being a crescent in the telescope. We even got to see Neptune (Tangaroa), tiny and blue through the telescope due to its distance. There were three telescopes, two astrophotography rigs, two smart telescopes, and time-lapse cameras operating capturing the beauty of the night sky. The WAS Cretney Observatory was operating in the background.
We explored the heavens and observed binary stars, sparkling open clusters, ancient globular clusters, distant galaxies, and countless meteors streaking across the sky — those magical shooting stars that never fail to make people stop and look up. Unfortunately there were many satellites visible crossing the sky in all directions.
A beautiful, unforgettable night beneath the stars, shared with an enthusiastic audience who were eager to explore the Universe.
Sunday 20th September – Queen Elizabeth Park
What a great turnout for the Wellington Astronomical Society’s latest public outreach event at Queen Elizabeth Park, celebrating International Observe the Moon Night!
Co-hosted with Greater Wellington and the Wellington Tramway Museum, the evening brought together families and astronomy enthusiasts for a truly special dark sky adventure. Visitors arriving at the park hopped aboard the historic tram for a scenic journey down to the beach, where our telescopes were waiting.
Although clouds initially threatened to spoil the show, the skies soon cleared, rewarding everyone with spectacular views of the Moon, brilliant Venus and magnificent Saturn! And what better way to enjoy a night of stargazing than with delicious hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows under the stars?
With two large groups joining us throughout the evening, it was a memorable celebration of astronomy, discovery and the wonder of looking up at the night sky together.
Interested in helping at our outreach events? No telescope experience is needed.
Our events rely on volunteers, and everyone is welcome to join the team. If you can help, please contact Jeremy
Interested in attending ad hoc viewing events?
We have set up a WhatsApp group for the Outreach team and any WAS members who are interested in hearing about events. Please send me your phone number and I can add you to the group.
For information on WhatsApp: https://www.whatsapp.com/
– Holly McClelland, Outreach
New financial year started on 1 September
Subscriptions for the new financial year are due from 1 September. Our subscription rates are unchanged from last year, namely $77.50 (ordinary member), unwaged $37.00, associate member (if you live >80 km away) $42.50, and family membership $103.00. Our new treasurer, Avi, will be sending our invoices shortly. Prompt payment is greatly appreciated.
Need to catch-up?
Did you miss the Night Sky this Month at the October meeting? Follow this link to our YouTube channel, where you can see our speakers’ presentations and our Night Sky this Month videos.
Interested in reading the latest set of Council Minutes? Here is the link to the Minutes of the October meeting.
The latest issue of the RASNZ Newsletter is available here.