Stars in their eyes

By Nikau Poki | Posted: Wednesday August 23, 2023

Although we didn't have any rocket ships to visit the stars in person (not yet at least), a clear sky and favourable weather meant we were able to go in our trusty van instead to view the stars from a remote distance 2 hours away.

Already covered in stargazing gear from head to toe to withstand the chilly night, our Year 12 and 13 Earth and Space students departed from OBHS to embark on a classic road trip to a peaceful town called Naseby for a perfect way to end a Friday afternoon.

Upon arriving at our destination, on a bit of farmland isolated from all the city lights, our eyes were star struck. The lack of artificial light made this place one of the darkest nights I've ever seen but at the same time the cleanliness of it made it one of the brightest as the night sky was lit up by thousands if not millions of individual stars that would take a lifetime to count. In every direction I looked, stars filled the frame.

Our tour guide for the night, Paul Bishop, took us around the setup which included an array of telescopes that allowed us to peer into the night sky. Some of the most notable features we viewed with the telescopes were Saturn, the Tarantula Nebula, Eta Carina, Alpha Centauri A and B, and the Magellanic Clouds exclusive to the Southern Hemisphere. Viewing these stellar objects and listening to Paul’s expertise in this field gave us a fun but valuable way of learning which helps prepare us for future endeavours, as this is one of the topics covered in Earth and Space.

The roads to Naseby were long but in the end, it was worth an enjoyable road trip with the boys away from technology and out in the outdoors. Once again, big thanks to Paul Bishop from Naseby Night Sky Tour for guiding us through our journey of exploring the stars.

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