Tauranga Astronomical Society

25/09/2026

Rocket Lab's 97th rocket launch is scheduled for (UPDATED) 12:39pm today from Mahia.

Electron will launch a dedicated mission to a 559km low Earth orbit with a single StriX Earth-observation satellite for Synspective, a Japan-based commercial constellation operator.

"Owlright, Owlright, Owlright" will be Rocket Lab's 13th launch for Synspective's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging constellation over Japan that provides data for urban development planning, construction and infrastructure monitoring, and disaster response.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkLw0Kf_iSA

Nyd de videoer og den musik, du holder af, upload originalt indhold, og del det hele med venner, familie og verden på YouTube.

23/09/2026

A very bright fireball meteor was seen from over a wide area of the North Island at 10:57pm last night, Wednesday 23 Sept. The fireball fell over the ocean West of Marakopa. If you have a security camera facing in that direction, you might like to check in case you captured it.



https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1971GizGQL/

22/09/2026

A reminder that we have a meeting tonight (Tuesday 22 Sept) at 7:30pm. It looks like the rain (and hopefully the cloud) will pass over and clear by then. Please see the post below for full details.
See you there! :)



https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Pc9HiBApT/

19/09/2026

Coming up at our next meeting on Tuesday 22 September at 7:30pm...

* TAS member Dr Rebecca Taylor will present a talk "Venus - Perseverance in space exploration; Venera (1961-1984)".
* Venus will be visible (weather permitting) and will be 23% illuminated, making it look like a mini "crescent moon" through the telescopes.
* The Moon will be visible (weather permitting) and will be 81% illuminated - good for viewing the craters.
* By the supper break (8:30pm), Saturn will be getting high enough for viewing, weather permitting, and the rings will be visible
* Other items of interest.

Note: This will be the last opportunity (weather permitting) for earlier evening viewing before Daylight Saving resumes on Sunday 27 September.

Admission is $5.00 for visitors (free for members). School age children are free. Please note that there is NO EFTPOS available, so cash or bank transfer please.

Please note that the Moon won't be visible for viewing through the telescopes. The only planet currently visible is Venus. Telescope viewing of star clusters etc may be possible, weather permitting.

At around 8:20pm, we will have a 10 minute break. Tea / coffee / Milo and biscuits are available for $2. The main meeting usually ends at around 9pm. Families with young children may choose to leave during or after the break if needed. If the sky is clear, telescope viewing may continue on after 9pm for those remaining.

Optional 12 Month membership is $50.00 for individuals, $65.00 for families, or $25.00 for tertiary students. This gives you free entry to any of our meetings and viewing nights, access to our loan telescopes (a hire fee and bond may apply) and access to our extensive library.

Check out our extensive range of TAS caps, beanies, polo and tee shirts, hoodies and jackets. They make great gifts for astronomy enthusiasts of all ages!

The Tauranga Astronomical Society observatory is located in the Otumoetai Sport & Recreation Club building in Fergusson Park, end of Tilby Drive, Matua, Otumoetai, Tauranga.

** Please check back on our page before the meeting in case of cancellation due to bad weather or illness etc **

Are you interested in learning how to use our telescopes and becoming part of our team to help with our viewing nights? Come along! We would love for you to join us!

Our regular public meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month (March to November) at 7:30 pm. Presentations are given on current astronomical topics. All those interested in astronomy in the Bay of Plenty district are invited to attend.

See you there! 🙂

16/09/2026

A new crater on the Moon!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1XgvxQDaoc/

The Moon’s got a big new crater! 🕳️

Spotted in imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the crater is the result of a less than once-in-a-century impact. Named McGetchin, the crater is about 141 feet deep and wider than the length of two football fields. The comet or asteroid that created it could have been as big as a six‑story building! 🪨💥🌕

Full story of the discovery, published today: go.nasa.gov/3TzHqUf

07/09/2026

Coming up at our next meeting on Tuesday 8 September at 7:30pm...

* TAS member James will present a talk about the life of Edmund Halley and the key achievements that contributed to science and shaped the modern world.
* TAS member David will present a short item about a fireball meteor seen over the North Island on 30 August.
* Venus will be visible (weather permitting) and will be 34% illuminated, making it look like a mini "crescent moon" through the telescopes.
Please note the Moon won't be visible.
* Other items of interest.

Admission is $5.00 for visitors (free for members). School age children are free. Please note that there is NO EFTPOS available, so cash or bank transfer please.

Please note that the Moon won't be visible for viewing through the telescopes. The only planet currently visible is Venus. Telescope viewing of star clusters etc may be possible, weather permitting.

At around 8:20pm, we will have a 10 minute break. Tea / coffee / Milo and biscuits are available for $2. The main meeting usually ends at around 9pm. Families with young children may choose to leave during or after the break if needed. If the sky is clear, telescope viewing may continue on after 9pm for those remaining.

Optional 12 Month membership is $50.00 for individuals, $65.00 for families, or $25.00 for tertiary students. This gives you free entry to any of our meetings and viewing nights, access to our loan telescopes (a hire fee and bond may apply) and access to our extensive library.

Check out our extensive range of TAS caps, beanies, polo and tee shirts, hoodies and jackets. They make great gifts for astronomy enthusiasts of all ages!

The Tauranga Astronomical Society observatory is located in the Otumoetai Sport & Recreation Club building in Fergusson Park, end of Tilby Drive, Matua, Otumoetai, Tauranga.

** Please check back on our page before the meeting in case of cancellation due to bad weather or illness etc **

Are you interested in learning how to use our telescopes and becoming part of our team to help with our viewing nights? Come along! We would love for you to join us!

Our regular public meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month (March to November) at 7:30 pm. Presentations are given on current astronomical topics. All those interested in astronomy in the Bay of Plenty district are invited to attend.

See you there! 🙂

06/09/2026

Those Starlink satellite trains are amazing to see, but there is a serious downside to the increasing numbers of satellites being launched. There are now more than 11,000 Starlink satellites orbiting the Earth.

A European Southern Observatory study on planned artificial satellites said proposals would completely destroy our view of the night sky.

02/09/2026

Rocket Lab's latest rocket is now scheduled to launch soon after midnight if the winds drop (launch currently on hold).

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

01/09/2026

UPDATED: POSTPONED Rocket Launch 11:00pm Wednesday night.

Another opportunity to see the latest rocket launch by Rocket Lab as they launch an Electron Rocket from Mahia Peninsular. The launch was postponed due to high winds. The launch is now scheduled for 11:00pm Wednesday 2 September.

Weather permitting, the rockets can be seen going up into the sky from a wide area around the North Island (including BOP, Waikato, Auckland etc). You will need to be looking towards Mahia / Gisborne / East Cape (refer to map). One good way to check the direction is to use the measuring tool in Google Maps and draw a line between Mahia to your location. The rocket will launch towards the East-Northeast.

There will be a livestream on Rocket Lab's YouTube channel which will go live about 20 - 30 minutes before the scheduled launch. The link will be posted in the comments below.

Due to various reasons, the launch may be delayed or "scrubbed" altogether. Hopefully the high winds will settle down by tonight.

This mission will be Rocket Lab's 94th Electron launch and latest dedicated mission for Synspective, a Japan-based commercial constellation operator.

"Owl Around The World" will deploy a single StriX Earth observation satellite to a 575km LEO that will join Synspective's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging constellation over Japan that provides data for urban development planning, construction and infrastructure monitoring, and disaster response.

This will be Rocket Lab's 11th dedicated launch for Synspective. Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for Synspective's constellation since 2020, with another 16 missions booked to deliver the rest of their constellation to orbit before 2030.



https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/launches/owl-around-the-world/

30/08/2026

Did anyone see, or better still, capture the bright fireball meteor tonight (Sunday) at 7:43pm? It was travelling from West to East over the upper North Island. It would have ended up over or in the Pacific Ocean of the East coast of the North Island.

We captured this on one of our meteor cameras at the observatory (Fergusson Park, Matua, Tauranga) and TAS member David Greig captured it on one of his home meteor cameras (Tapo C325WB).

Did you see it? If you have security cameras, you might like to check them.



https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1E9AuhCy7V/