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Otago Daily Times
23-07-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Countdown on to 2028 solar eclipse
A Dunedin astronomer is keen to spread the word this week marks three years until Dunedin is at the centre of a total solar eclipse — an event that could bring tens of thousands of visitors to the city. Dunedin Astronomical Society member Warren Hurley said the rare cosmic event, in which the moon passes between the sun and the earth, will darken the skies above Dunedin on July 22, 2028 Mr Hurley said, during the late afternoon eclipse, lasting two minutes and 52 seconds, the moon's shadow would be about 170km wide and centred within 4km of the Octagon — ensuring those in Dunedin the best view. He urged residents to check outside this week to see if they would be able to view the eclipse from their homes. "If your house is in sunshine from 3pm to 5pm this week, then you will be able to watch the eclipse from home at the same time in 2028. Those living in North East Valley or Kaikorai Valley will probably need to find another location though," he said. The city will also need to be prepared for the likely influx of visitors, estimated at up to 50,000 people, some of whom will travel from across the globe to witness the eclipse. Mr Hurley said he had witnessed one solar eclipse in person, during a visit to the small Australian town of Ceduna, near Adelaide, in 2002. The event attracted 30,000 visitors. Mr Hurley has been giving talks about solar eclipses to visiting members of the public at the Dunedin Astronomical Society's regular winter Sunday evening gatherings, from 7pm at the Beverley Begg Observatory.
Otago Daily Times
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Evening of food, rail and stars
Lindsay Sinien, 36 (left), and Jurij Boccioli, 35, both of France, board the Stargazer train to Taieri Gorge last night. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Most of us have heard of Stars in Their Eyes, Dancing with the Stars, and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Now there is dining with the stars — and it is happening here in Dunedin. Dunedin Railways has partnered with Tūhura Otago Museum and the Dunedin Astronomical Society to take passengers on two exclusive Stargazer train journeys through the Taieri Gorge, to have a gourmet meal beneath Otago's star-studded sky. Then, if the weather is good, they will be able to disembark at Hindon and explore the cosmos, unhindered by street lights, with the help of seasoned astronomers and state-of-the-art telescopes. If it proved to be too cloudy, Tūhura Otago Museum science communicators would also lead two interactive astronomy activities, which aimed to unlock some of the mysteries of the universe. About 120 people boarded the train at Dunedin Railway Station last night for the first sold-out tour. Lindsay Sinien, of France, said her partner Jurij Boccioli bought tickets for the ride as a surprise. "We love stargazing, so he booked the journey as a romantic surprise for me." Asked if an engagement ring might make a sparkling appearance during the trip, there was nervous laughter all around before Miss Sinien said, "No, not tonight — I don't think". The duo were looking forward to seeing the Milky Way, a distant galaxy, and maybe some of the planets in the solar system. The second Stargazer tour will be held on June 27, and has also sold out.
Otago Daily Times
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
‘Intense storm' on sun prompting aurora activity
Another aurora is visible over Hoopers Inlet, on Otago Peninsula, on Sunday night. Photo: Brendon Williamson As Otago's skies light up with spectacular auroral displays again, the question has been asked — are we seeing more aurora activity than ever before? Dunedin Astronomical Society life member Ash Pennell said he had been watching the night skies above the city for about 60 years, and the answer was "yes, and no". The 74-year-old believed the aurora appearing at the moment were "right up there" in terms of brilliance, but in terms of frequency, they had not increased over the past 150 years. He said the sun was at the solar maximum of its 11-year activity sequence at the moment. "Last year, if you remember, we had a couple of magnificent nights, something terrifically brilliant. "What's happened on this occasion is there's been a massive area of sunspots, solar activity — basically, storms on the sun — and that sequence has continued." He said the sun rotated every 28 days and the sunspots had been around for about three rotations. "And they look like they're going to continue for a while I think, which is rare. "They normally fade out — they go around the back of the sun and they sort of disappear. "So there's been an intense storm up there, and the sun has ejected a lot of plasma out in our direction, hence what we've been looking at the last couple of nights." He said the coronal mass ejections sent charged particles toward Earth, which interacted with the atmosphere near the North and South poles, causing them to glow and create the beautiful light displays we were seeing. While the recent displays had been spectacular, they were not the most spectacular he had seen. "The last one in 2014 wasn't so good, but the one in 2003, we had some very fine auroras back then, and the 11 years before then, too. "So it's not new, this amount of activity." In October 1927, the Otago Daily Times reported an "entrancing" aurora off the coast of Dunedin, which had a major effect on technology of the time. "The effect of the phenomenon on local wireless sets on Saturday and Sunday evenings was very noticeable," the article said. "Various owners of sets reported that it was utterly impossible to get in contact with Australian stations, and even the strong station at Wellington could not be heard." Mr Pennell said there was a solar cycle back in the mid-1860s where the coronal mass ejections disintegrated telegraph wires in parts of the northern and southern hemispheres. "That's how strong it was. Back then, that would have been really spectacular. "If we got an event that strong now, a lot of our satellites would be toast." He believed the surge in aurora images had been created by a growing number of people using smartphones to take photos of the light shows, which were being posted on social media. Dunedin astronomer Dr Ian Griffin agreed. "People have got better camera phones and better cameras, so more people are going out and basically being able to photograph the aurora. "Ash is absolutely right — you could see auroras with the naked eye back in the day. "But I do think with websites like the Aurora Australis Facebook group, which has got nearly 120,000 members, social media is really playing a role, too." Mr Pennell said the meteorological weather had also played a major part. "We've had quite a run of clear nights, so people do see these things. "They're normally hidden by cloud."
