RASNZ

30/09/2026

100 Hours of Astronomy is this week. Join in the activities!

Mission: Mars - Unraveling the mysteries of the Solar System with MMX
1:00 am, Friday 2 October NZDT
https://www.youtube.com/live/ID_QLEiiu6k?si=hsP9VkDMIOXKVP3u

NZ IAU Astronomy Outreach IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach

Led by JAXA, in collaboration with NASA, CNES, DLR and ESA, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission is scheduled to launch on October 20, 2026. MMX will be the first mission to explore the Martian moons, and bring back a sample from the Mars system.

The mission will help us unravel some of the biggest mysteries of the Solar System’s formation and evolution, including understanding the Earth’s history and whether Mars itself could have hosted life in the distant past. As a sample return mission, MMX is also giving us an opportunity to test out the technical requirements for a safe round trip transit back home – something that will prove to be very important when we start to settle on other bodies in the Solar System.

Through international collaboration, technical innovation and scientific teamwork, MMX will change the way we understand our Solar System, and our place within it

Join us on October 1 for this amazing talk!
YouTube live: https://www.youtube.com/live/9lOE9htJRd8?si=2tVdoMZL3sJXYDz1

29/09/2026

27/09/2026

100 Hours of Astronomy is this week. Join in the activities!

Pluto: From Discovery to Rediscovery
2:00 pm, Saturday 3 October NZDT
https://www.youtube.com/live/9lOE9htJRd8?si=6_H3a6nliHpBhPlx

NZ IAU Astronomy Outreach IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach

What has changed in our understanding of since its discovery in 1930? From the debate over its classification to the first close-up images sent by New Horizons, each chapter has revealed something new.

Join Brian Schmidt, Amanda Bosh, Adeene Denton and Gonzalo Tancredi for a panel discussion tracing Pluto’s journey from discovery to rediscovery.

3 October at 01:00 UTC
Register for the discussion here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJtMiZFRBCKPxPtyevJ-A7bL4ASzCAZthLRR-KBCjgDusLmA/viewform

27/09/2026

100 Hours of Astronomy is this week. Join in the activities!

Diving into the Mysteries of the Ocean Worlds in our Solar System
3:00 am, Saturday 3 October NZDT
https://www.youtube.com/live/nJL_XCyA_As?si=i9zh_bhW1gQE1oac

NZ IAU Astronomy Outreach IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach

Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, may have an ocean beneath its icy surface. While NASA’s Europa Clipper travels there to study it, telescopes on Earth and in space continue to provide valuable clues.

Join Dr Stefanie Milam, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, to explore how observations at different wavelengths help us understand Europa and other ocean worlds in our Solar System.

During our celebration on October 2
At 2 PM UTC
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/live/nJL_XCyA_As?si=i9zh_bhW1gQE1oac

27/09/2026

100 Hours of Astronomy is this week. Join in the activities!

One Community - Two Global Celebrations
10:00 pm, Sunday 4 October NZDT
https://www.youtube.com/live/9lOE9htJRd8?si=6_H3a6nliHpBhPlx

NZ IAU Astronomy Outreach IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach

As 100 Hours of Astronomy comes to a close, the journey continues w...

27/09/2026

is back!

From 1–4 October 2026, communities around the world are invited to organise public astronomy activities as part of this international celebration coordinated by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach.

This year’s theme, A New Perspective on the Solar System, invites us to explore how space missions, new observations and scientific research continue to transform what we know about our cosmic neighbourhood.

Would you like to participate? Organise an observation night, public talk, workshop, exhibition or another astronomy activity for your community. Events can be held online or in person and can be designed for audiences of any age or level of experience.

Register your event on our website and add your community to the global map of 100 Hours of Astronomy activities.

- 1–4 October 2026
- Open to organisers around the world
- Find our more: https://iauoutreach.org/global-projects/100-hours-of-astronomy