Introduction to Astronomy

This two-day beginner’s astronomy course at Stonehenge Aotearoa runs from 12:30 to 5:00 pm on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 February. Weather permitting; there will be a tour of the night sky and telescope viewing in the evenings at 8 pm.

Part 1 (Saturday) – Putting things in perspective: We will talk about distances of the Moon and the planets. We will learn about our place in the universe, the cosmic perspective and then, moving closer to home, we will have a look at the solar system, the planets, asteroids and our Moon.

Part 2 (Sunday) – Navigating the changing sky: Constellations, the zodiac, and asterisms. We also look at the tools that help our understanding of the night sky: the armillary sphere, the planisphere, and the sextant. Travelling from one pole to the other, we will look at changes in the night sky. We will learn about magnitudes and the qualities of the night sky, light pollution and why we should care about it.