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)
Septembee 2026 Monthly Meeting
When: Wednesday 2nd September 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: Jeremy Robertson
Subject: Visualising the heavens: from armillary spheres to planetariums
How can we visualise and model the Universe?
As our knowledge increases, and with the recent rapid development in technology, we have moved well beyond the early attempts to model the Universe using armillary spheres. Planetariums, in particular, are a great tool to help people understand where we sit within the Universe.
This talk will consider some of this history and the various options we currently have to educate the public.
About our speaker: Jeremy Robertson is a key member of the WAS outreach team. He got his first telescope in his teens, but hr has only recently had time to re-engage in astronomical activities.
Dark sky observing
WAS Astrophotography Group / Dark Sky Observing
When: Saturday 5th and 12th of September from 6:30 pm onwards. Weather permitting.
Where: Star Field, John Whitby’s dark sky site in the southern Wairarapa.
New Moon is on 11th September.
‘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
Dark Sky Experience – Queen Elizabeth Park
19 September
Sold out — but you can join the waitlist here:
Greater Wellington – Dark Sky Experience waitlist
100 Hours of Astronomy
1–4 October
More details will be announced soon. Keep an eye on the WAS social media pages and upcoming newsletters for event information.
July and August highlights
The Outreach Team has been busy sharing the night sky with our community.
We visited Kelburn Scouts, introducing the Cubs to astronomy and the night sky. They got to look through several telescopes and try out our Dwarf Lab digital telescopes, capturing some great images along the way.
We also joined Greater Wellington Regional Council for an incredible Dark Sky Trek in Wainuiomata. Guests explored the night sky while the rangers shared their work protecting kiwi and glowworms in the area.
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
Fireballs Aotearoa News
On 28 July, a spectacular fireball was seen streaking acoss the sky from Kāpiti to the Wairarapa. As 1News reported it, ‘Many people also reported hearing sonic booms moments later. A resident in East Taratahi, Wairarapa describing hearing “multiple crackles, several distinct booms and prolonged rolling rumbling, giving the impression of an object travelling through the atmosphere and fragmenting repeatedly”.
‘The fireball was captured by Fireballs Aotearoa’s nationwide network of meteor cameras, which allowed scientists to calculate where surviving fragments were likely to have landed.’
The search was led by Steve Wyn-Williams, Director of Fireballs Aotearoa, who will be our speaker in October. The team searched farmland north of Masterton, and found four meteorite fragments weighing 8g, 9g, 12g and 40g. The meteorite is now being formally classified. Next step is receiving an official name as New Zealand’s 11th documented meteorite.
Dr Bruce Charlier, Manager of the Geochemistry Lab at Victoria University of Wellington, noted that recoveries like this were exceptionally rare in New Zealand.
He told INews: ‘There’s now been 11 confirmed meteorites in total, but there’s a difference between a find and a fall. A find is something that’s lain on the ground for hundreds or even thousands of years, whereas a fall is something that’s actually observed to fall and then collected straight away. There’s only been four of those in New Zealand.’