Out of Space

Featured image: The fate of the albatross

The fate of the albatross

Duncan Steel • Jun 19, 2020

Yesterday I wrote that I can find some reason to celebrate almost any date, and today (19th June) is no exception: it’s World Albatross Day. Unfortunately the day began with a news story concerning a commercial fishing boat killing four endangered Antipodean albatrosses off NZ’s East Cape. Even more unfortunately, such events are not unusual, with several … Read More

Featured image: Connecting Wellington and Nelson

Connecting Wellington and Nelson

Duncan Steel • Jun 18, 2020

My blog post here has essentially nothing to do with space and astronomy, my usual subjects, but it concerns a little matter of history I thought I’d like to write about. Once upon a time I wrote a long book about calendars, and as a consequence accumulated knowledge about many of the special dates in the year which could be … Read More

Featured image: Where is New Zealand’s highest point?

Where is New Zealand’s highest point?

Duncan Steel • May 01, 2020

Did you know that the top of Mount Cook is by no means New Zealand’s furthest point from the centre of the Earth? And that Samoa’s tallest mountain is seven kilometres further from our planet’s core than anywhere in NZ? The highest point anywhere, in terms of separation from Earth’s centre? — It’s not Mount Everest.  It’s the sort of … Read More

Featured image: When is the day inserted into a leap year?

When is the day inserted into a leap year?

Duncan Steel • Feb 24, 2020

Surprisingly enough, one could argue (as I often do) that the day inserted into a leap year is not that we label 29th February, but actually the 24th of February. Here I explain why, briefly.  Almost everyone assumes that the day added into February in a leap year is the 29th, but that assumption is based on a lack of … Read More

Featured image: New launch of 60 SpaceX satellites crossing NZ

New launch of 60 SpaceX satellites crossing NZ

Duncan Steel • Feb 22, 2020

Last Monday SpaceX launched another clutch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, bringing up to 300 the number of these units intended to bring 5G internet to the whole globe. In this post I present a movie showing how all 300 such satellites will be zipping around our planet over the next eight days (until the end of the month), … Read More

Featured image: Update on how to see the Space-X satellite chains from NZ

Update on how to see the Space-X satellite chains from NZ

Duncan Steel • Feb 08, 2020

In a previous post I described briefly when and how the Starlink satellite chains – recent launches by Space-X in a scheme to bring 5G internet connectivity to the whole globe – could be seen from New Zealand with the naked eye. Here I provide an update and predictions for the next several days.  My preceding post included … Read More

4

Featured image: Seeing the Space-X satellite chains from NZ

Seeing the Space-X satellite chains from NZ

Duncan Steel • Feb 04, 2020

Space-X has started launching its Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit with a plan to use some tens of thousands of these to deliver 5G wifi to the whole globe. Chains of these satellites can be seen in the evening or before-dawn skies, through the sunlight they scatter. Here I provide a movie showing opportunities for spotting such satellites over the … Read More

5

Featured image: Southern Cross and Pointers Painted Large Across Christchurch

Southern Cross and Pointers Painted Large Across Christchurch

Duncan Steel • Dec 25, 2019

Using knowledge of when the Sentinel-1A radar satellite was due to pass over New Zealand, a team at Christ’s College laid out specially-constructed radar retroreflectors across Hagley Park in Christchurch, in that way painting the Southern Cross and the Pointers in a huge array clearly visible in the derived radar image of the city.  A special – but brief – … Read More