Auckland Astronomical Society

Auckland Astronomical Society Founded in 1923 and now with over 600 members, Auckland Astronomical Society is one of New Zealand's largest.

Founded in 1923 and now with over members, the Auckland Astronomical Society is New Zealand's largest Astronomical organisation. We are based at the Auckland Observatory and provide for all levels of interest and expertise in astronomy. We are committed to educating our members in the science of astronomy and to keeping them up-to-date with current astronomical developments and discoveries. The Society members provide voluntary support for the Auckland Observatory public programs.

04/10/2026

Introduction to Astronomy
Monday 5 October at 8:00pm, Stardome Observatory.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
NASA's Next Giant Step

Chris Benton explains what makes NASA’s next-generation flagship, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, so special in its design and capabilities. With a field of view 100 times greater than Hubble, it will map the cosmos with unprecedented speed and detail, unravelling the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter, both of which will also be explained. Learn not only what astronomers will discover from this, but also how the telescope’s highly sophisticated coronagraph allows astronomers to directly image exoplanets next to their host stars despite the latter’s intense glare. Using this and gravitational microlensing, which we will discuss, scientists expect to discover about 100,000 new exoplanet candidates. Come and hear about the telescope, the science and much more, as well as attendees receiving a comprehensive handout. We look forward to seeing you all there ready for an 8 pm start!

26/09/2026

Film Night September - Cosmos - 45 years Later - Blues for a Red Planet

A reminder that Film Night is on this Monday 28th September at Te Whatu Stardome Observatory, 8 pm.

This Month we are continuing a revisit of the Cosmos Series - 45 Years later.

Blues for a Red Planet

Subject: Mars exploration history; Percival Lowell’s canals; Viking missions (1976) and search for life. 45 Years Later:
Rovers (Sojourner 1997 → Perseverance 2021): ancient river/lake beds, organic molecules, “leopard spot” biosignature candidate (2024).
Perseverance caching samples for return (2030s); evidence of past habitability strengthened dramatically.
Methane detections and subsurface ice; potential for past microbial life now a major focus.

Hope to see you all there.

Announcing that the 2026 New Zealand Astrophotography Competition is now open for entriesThis year the judge is none oth...
23/09/2026

Announcing that the 2026 New Zealand Astrophotography Competition is now open for entries

This year the judge is none other than our very own Rolf Wahl Olsen.

The competition Closing Date is the 18th. October, 2026. Entries will be accepted till 11:59PM

Prizes are as follows ... with more prizes to be confirmed ...

Overall Winner
$300 NZD cash prize (Auckland Astronomical Society) and the NZ Astrophotography Trophy

Nightscape/Artistic Winner
$200 NZD cash prize (Auckland Astronomical Society)
$300 Astronz gift voucher (Astronz)

Solar System Winner
$200 NZD cash prize (Auckland Astronomical Society)
$300 Astronz gift voucher (Astronz)

Deep Sky Winner
$200 NZD cash prize (Auckland Astronomical Society)
$300 Astronz gift voucher (Astronz)

Aurora Winner
$200 NZD cash prize (Dark Sky Network NZ)

Dark Sky Places Winner
$200 NZD cash prize (Dark Sky Network NZ)

Smartphone Winner
$200 NZD cash prize (Auckland Astronomical Society & Dark Sky Network NZ )

Timelapse Winner
$200 NZD cash prize (Auckland Astronomical Society)

All category winners, including highly commended entrants, will receive a certificate

AI-generated images and ‘AI Art’ are not eligible. Images must consist of genuine astronomical data captured via observation using photographic equipment. The use of machine learning software for noise reduction and similar purposes is allowed but must be declared.

Winning images from other competitions are not allowed.
Please check the competition home page for the rest of the competition rules.

As always we are looking forward to seeing what you guys and girls have come up with this year.

Prizes to be announced at the annual Burbidge dinner on the 15th of November

Tickets to the dinner can be purchased from the Auckland Astronomical Society website

A big thanks to Eric Chiu for organizing this years competition.

Competition Home Page : https://nzastrocompetition.com/

Entry Page: https://nzastrocompetition.com/new-zealand.../

20/09/2026

Practical Astronomy
Monday 21st September at 8:00pm, Te Whatu Stardome Observatory
The Spring Night Sky.

Speaker/Host: Andrew Buckingham
This will be one of our seasonal Planetarium sessions. We will use the Planetarium to explore the Spring Night Sky. This is a great way to improve your knowledge of the Spring constellations and learn about some of the deep sky objects to be found in them.

13/09/2026

Monthly Meeting
Monday 14th September at 8:00pm, Te Whatu Stardome Observatory

The Hunt for Oceans on Icy Moonsd

This meeting will feature a rebroadcast of a Royal Institution Lecture

Could there be oceans (and even life) hiding beneath the icy surfaces of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn?

For most of the history of planetary science, the search for habitable worlds focused on planets close to the Sun, where surface water can stay liquid. But data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft at Saturn and the Galileo spacecraft at Jupiter has overturned that assumption, revealing that several icy moons may be hiding vast oceans of liquid water beneath their frozen crusts. In this Discourse, Michele Dougherty — the first female Astronomer Royal — takes us through the Cassini mission's most extraordinary discovery: a plume of water vapour erupting from the south pole of Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus, and what it revealed about the possibility of life beyond Earth. She then looks ahead to ESA's JUICE mission, launched in 2023, which is now on its way to spend years studying Jupiter's giant moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa — all suspected to hide oceans of their own.

About the speaker:

Michele Dougherty is Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London. In 2025 she was named Astronomer Royal — the first woman to hold the position since it was created in 1675. Her research centres on planetary magnetospheres and atmospheric composition. She is a Principal Investigator on NASA's Cassini mission at Saturn and on ESA's JUICE mission, which will place the first spacecraft in orbit around a moon other than our own, Jupiter's Ganymede. She is Executive Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, a Fellow of the Royal Society, was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, and was made CBE in the 2018 New Year Honours.

13/09/2026

Emerging Astronomers
Monday 14th September at 7:00pm, Te Whatu Stardome Observatory

What Are Saturn’s Rings, Really

With Tim Sol.

Everyone knows Saturn has rings — but what are they made of, where did they come from, and how long will they last? We’ll go past the famous picture to the real thing: rings sculpted by tiny moons, a world with rivers and rain where you could strap on wings and fly, and another firing water into space from a hidden ocean that might hold life. Saturn is at its best in our sky right now, so everyone leaves with something to go and look at.

We had a session in the planetarium tonight with the four students of the Aotearoa New Zealand International Olympiad on...
07/09/2026

We had a session in the planetarium tonight with the four students of the Aotearoa New Zealand International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), who are heading to Hanoi, Vietnam, later this month to compete at the 2026 competition.

The four students are:
Jackie Xu, St Cuthbert's College
Liam Zhao, St Kentigern College
George Zhao, Botany Downs Secondary School
Gordon Lo, Macleans College

The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics is a highly competitive global competition, testing students in theoretical astrophysics, observational astronomy, and data analysis.

The Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand and NZOAA are proud to present the 2026 team, representing Aotearoa New Zealand for only the third time in the competition's history. Selected from schools across the country, these talented students have trained hard all year to master topics well beyond the NZ curriculum.

In the team's words: "Astrophysics and astronomy are genuine passions of mine because they allow me to understand the universe beyond our solar system, from modelling gravitational interactions to analysing celestial objects through spectroscopy. Competing at the IOAA would allow me to deepen my knowledge, learn alongside talented students from around the world, and proudly represent New Zealand and St Cuthbert's College. With the support of my community, I also hope to inspire more young women to see astronomy and other STEM fields as places where they can belong and succeed." – Jackie Xu, St Cuthbert's College

This year's competition takes place in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 25 – October 5, 2026. While the Auckland Astronomical Society has generously covered registration costs of NZ$2,400, additional funding is still required to cover return airfares and additional travel-related expenses. Any support, big or small, will be gratefully received and will help these students on their scientific journey:

https://givealittle.co.nz/org/royal-astronomical-society-of-nz

06/09/2026

Introduction to Astronomy
Monday 7 September at 8:00pm, Stardome Observatory.

Large-Scale Structures of the Universe

This evening, Chris Benton will discuss how the Universe is structured on large scales. Starting with our location in the Milky Way, we move out through the Local Group into the Virgo and Laniakea Superclusters of galaxies and beyond to reveal the large-scale structures of the Universe, as shown in a video travelling through space made from Sloan Digital Sky Survey data on observed galaxy positions and distances. Come and learn about the most recently discovered structures involving observations of Gamma Ray Bursts and distant quasars, and how they fit in with what we know about the cosmos on grand scales.

If you're interested in the history, size and structure of the Universe, you're enjoy this session, along with the handout all attendees receive.

30/08/2026

A reminder that there is no Meeting on Monday 31st August as it is the 5th Monday of the month

23/08/2026

Film Night August - Cosmos - 45 years Later - Heaven and Hell

A reminder that Film Night is on this Monday 24th August at Te Whatu Stardome Observatory, 8 pm.

This Month we are continuing a revisit of the Cosmos Series - 45 Years later.

Heaven and Hell
Subject: Comets, asteroids, and impacts (Tunguska, Venus greenhouse); planetary evolution and catastrophes.

Chicxulub crater confirmed as dinosaur extinction cause (1980s–1990s); multiple impact threats mapped (NEOWISE, etc.).
Venus: confirmed runaway greenhouse; no life but extreme lessons for Earth climate.
Jupiter’s Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact (1994) observed live; DART mission (2022) demonstrated asteroid deflection technology.

Hope to see you all there.

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PO Box 24-187, Royal Oak
Auckland
1345

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