The blog is where we'll post news, updates, information about objects in our collection, #betterworkstories, profiles of staff members and visitors, pictures and videos, and really anything we think you'd find interesting. We hope you enjoy.
If there's a topic you'd like us to do a post about, or a post that you think needs a sequel, just let us know!
A Tour of the Deep South
The moon is new next Monday (31 October) at 6.40am, which means we are entering the part of the month known as ‘dark of the moon’. Of course with the nights getting shorter in the run up to the summer solstice, the amount of darkness is decreasing with each passing day, but with the sun setting just before 8.30pm and rising at around 6.15am, Otago skywatchers still get to enjoy almost ten hours of stargazing this week...
Planets in the evening sky
I’m certain that my commute along Otago Peninsula from Dunedin to Portobello is one of the world’s best. After three years of making the journey twice daily, the constantly-changing outlook across the harbour is still awe-inspiring, even on days which are grey and overcast
Mosgiel Medals
Preparing updates to our Southern Land Southern People gallery has proven to be a great stimulus to do extra research on the stories behind the items on display.
This week I’ve been looking at the medals won by the Mosgiel Woollen Factory Company in 1879 and 1880. Two are from the Taieri Agricultural Society shows where it was estimated that over 1,400 adults attended. There’s a third from the Canterbury A & P Association.
Supermoon and seventh planet
It’s full moon next Sunday 16 October at 5.23pm. Here in Dunedin, the moon will rise just after 8pm, and city dwellers should get a marvellous view as it slowly rises over the hills of the Otago Peninsula. Photographers should have their cameras ready for what will be, weather permitting, a lovely sight. If watching the full moon rise doesn’t sound exciting enough to raise you from your post-prandial Sunday repose, how about if I told you this week’s full moon will in fact be a supermoon? Just 19 hours after the moon is full, at 12.47pm on Monday, our closest...
Great Crested Grebes of Lake Wanaka
Although the great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a cosmopolitan species, the subspecies found in New Zealand is rare and is confined to the inland lakes of Canterbury and Otago.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNER ANNOUNCED
After receiving an overwhelming 3,759 votes for the 2016 Otago Wildlife Photography Competition People’s Choice Award, we are delighted to announce the winner is Josie Cashmere-Reid with her image, ‘The pipeline, Arrowtown’...
Last call for Otago Wildlife Photography favourites
With the Otago Museum’s 2016 Otago Wildlife Photography Exhibition drawing to a close this month, photography fans are reminded to get their vote in for their ‘People’s Choice’ before this is announced on Monday 10 October.
Look North
The moon reaches first quarter next Sunday (9 October) at 5.33pm, so moonlight won’t be a huge distraction for Otago stargazers this week. This gives us an excellent opportunity to explore and learn about some fascinating constellations visible in the northern sky after sunset this time of year.
Reflecting on Crux
My aim in writing these posts is to encourage you to enjoy something interesting in the night sky – sometimes it’s a lunar eclipse, at others it might be a close approach between planets, or (as last week) a particularly beautiful celestial object like the lagoon nebula. Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, it can be easy to forget the simple pleasure of stargazing. Yet, when conditions are right, the combination of a crystal-clear sky and stunning Otago landscape can make for moments of transcendental splendour. I was reminded of this recently whilst driving around Hoopers Inlet, one of my...
Gems in the evening sky
At 2.21am on Friday morning (23 September), the Sun crosses the celestial equator heading south. This is the exact moment of the spring equinox, the date when day and night are equal all over the world. With daylight saving starting on Sunday, I’m sure everyone who isn’t an astronomer will be enjoying the longer, brighter spring evenings in the next week or so...
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Our blog aims to keep you informed of the latest happenings at the Otago Museum, through posts about our collections, our people and our work.
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