Zeiss Telescope In Action For International Observe The Moon Night

An historic Auckland telescope used during Apollo missions to the moon will be open to the public to celebrate NASA’s global moon event tomorrow.

Daley with Zeiss 1

Saturday, October 1 is International Observe the Moon Night, an international occasion created by NASA to encourage observation and understanding of our natural satellite.

When humans first went to the Moon, the EWB Zeiss telescope at Auckland’s Stardome Observatory and Planetarium was part of a network of instruments around the world that were used to manually track the missions during the time Houston did not have radio contact with its spacecraft and astronauts.

For this year’s Observe the Moon Night, the Zeiss telescope will be open to the public to view the moon all evening until 10:30pm, along with other courtyard telescopes. If poor weather hampers visibility, visitors can return free of charge when conditions are clear.

“It will be five days after the new moon, so looking up from the Southern Hemisphere, we will easily be able locate the various maria, or seas, on the eastern half of the near-side of the moon. These are the Sea of Serenity, Sea of Tranquillity, Sea of Crises, Sea of Fecundity, and Sea of Nectar,” explained Stardome telescope operator Daley Panthagani.

“Other prominent features on the moon that we will be able to observe using the EWB Zeiss telescope include impressive views along the terminator, which is the line between the day and night side of the Moon, as well as the 100km wide Theophilus crater with its imposing central mountain, and, of course, the landing sites of Apollo 11, Apollo 16, and the final manned mission - Apollo 17 in 1972,” explained Daley.

“This is a great way to reminisce as we look forward to a new round of robotic and human lunar exploration with the upcoming Artemis program from NASA.”

Stardome Planetarium and Observatory will be running 30 minute shows in the planetarium to connect visitors with Te Marama / The Moon, and explore how it came to be, how it impacts life here on earth, its phases, and connection with the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar).

What’s on at Stardome on 1 October, Observe the Moon Night:

Three 30min Planetarium shows about the moon ($12 adult, $10 child) at 6:15, 7:00 and 7:45 pm

Gallery Entry ($2 adult, $1 child) will include free access to telescopes (courtyard and Zeiss)

Regular show: “Our Night Sky” at 8:30pm ($15/$12)

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