Welcome to the WAS website

Wellington Astronomical Society is an incorporated society and registered charity for promoting astronomy in and around the Wellington region.

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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)

October 2026 Monthly Meeting

When: Wednesday 7th 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

On 28 July, a spectacular fireball was seen streaking eastwards across the sky from Kāpiti in the west. (The image above of the fireball over Tongariro was taken by a GeoNet camera.) Many people also reported hearing sonic booms moments later. 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 for the meteorite was led by Steve Wyn-Williams, Director of Fireballs Aotearoa For several days, the team searched farmland north of Masterton, and eventually found four meteorite fragments weighing 8g, 9g, 12g and 40g. The meteorite is now being formally classified by Marshall Palmer at CMW Geosciences. To date, in New Zealand only 4 meteorites have been seen and collected straight away. Next step is receiving an official name as New Zealand’s 11th documented meteorite – Fireballs Aotearoa suggests Ruamāhanga.

About our speaker: Steve Wyn-Harris is Director of Fireballs Aotearoa, and an inveterate meteorite hunter.

Interested in hosting a meteorite camera? Here’s how to join up – or talk to Steve at the meeting.

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Dark sky observing

WAS Astrophotography Group / Dark Sky Observing

When: Saturday 3rd, 10th and 31st of October from 7:30 pm onwards. Weather permitting.
Where: Star Field, John Whitby’s dark sky site in the southern Wairarapa.

New Moon is on 11 October; Saturday 3 October falls within 100 Hours of Astronomy.

‘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.

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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

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