Why are we so fascinated by the Moon, stars and mysterious space oddities?
Monday, 13 December 2021
Whether it's a rare blood supermoon, a Moon with a pinkish hue, or a near-total lunar eclipse – New Zealanders are often fascinated by what’s happening in the sky.
Space stories in general are popular among Stuff readers. In the past year alone, we’ve had an array of stories about lunar events lighting up our night sky, as well mysterious tales, and yarns about billionaires blasting off in rockets.
So why are people so intrigued? According to Nelson-based space scientist Duncan Steel, space is spectacular, continues to surprise people, and there’s a lot of unanswered questions out there.
For Steel, his interest in space can be linked back to when he was young, watching the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Steel's interest in space led him into a career in the industry. But for many other New Zealanders, it’s simply curiosity that makes them look up.
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Auckland Stardome astronomer Rob Davison says that eclipses always draw a lot of attention and excitement from the public. Lunar eclipses, such as the one New Zealanders saw in May which coincided with a supermoon, are popular and more common.
Solar eclipses however are rare, and it can be many years between them depending on where you are on Earth. People will travel around the world to try and see them, Davison says.
Science fiction films have helped pique interest over the years, Steel says, as well as space exploration and new discoveries, and the growing area of space tourism.
Recently, people have been “absolutely fascinated” by the chain of satellites spotted travelling through the night sky – this is a satellite internet constellation called Starlink that’s operated by SpaceX.
The project by SpaceX chief Elon Musk plans to create a constellation of 12,000 satellites orbiting Earth to bring improved broadband internet access to large swathes of the world’s population.
At Stardome, there’s been a significant increase in interest around Matariki in recent years. Davison says that he thinks for many people, Matariki has proven to be a valuable entry point to tātai arorangi (astronomy) in general.
“It’ll be exciting to see interest grow more and more over the years with its status as a national holiday as well.”
People have always been interested in space, but this has definitely accelerated over the past few decades, Davison says. In the past 30 years in particular, space exploration has seen some giant leaps forward.
“The images produced by the Hubble Space Telescope have opened our eyes to the incredible variety we can find out there, while rovers and probes exploring the planets of our own solar system have helped us connect those worlds to our own like never before.”
Thirty years ago we had no evidence of planets around other stars – now there are over 4500 confirmed exoplanets, with hundreds of millions suspected within our Milky Way galaxy, Davison says.
“The most exciting thing about these discoveries is how they seed more questions than they answer. We find that exoplanets exist, but now we want to know whether they have atmospheres, whether they could harbour life, and so on. They also provide more and more avenues for people to engage with space and our night skies.”
Then there’s the ever expanding area of space tourism. In 2021, billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos both ventured up into the atmosphere in their rockets to fulfil lifelong dreams but also to advance ticket sales of their future tourist space flights.
In early December, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and his producer rocketed to space and reached the International Space Station – the first visit by self-paying space tourists to the orbiting outpost in more than a decade.
Going forwards, space tourism is an area that’s likely to see a lot of growth.
Clinical psychologist and senior lecturer at Massey University, Dr Kirsty Ross, says space has been known as the “final frontier” for a long time, and thinks it holds a special fascination for people around the vastness, the unknown and the mysteries of space.
The sheer beauty of pictures of space and the eternal question many people have of what is out there adds to the appeal. The adventure element of exploration of space has also appealed to many for a long time, she says.
People who are science-oriented find space fascinating from the perspective of the exploration and discovery of new knowledge, which helps us understand our world better at times too, she says.
The romantics enjoy the mystery, the vastness and the awareness of something so much bigger than ourselves, and the feeling of gazing out into the stars on a beautiful summer’s night is peaceful for many. For some, it can feel like a connection with nature or spirituality which is comforting too, Ross adds.
When it comes to lunar spectacles like eclipses, feeling as though we are witnessing something special in nature and in time, that doesn’t happen often, can give a sense of collective sharing in something important, she says.
Having something so beautiful yet mysterious right above our heads every night has fired the imaginations and curiosities of countless generations, Davison says. And it will likely continue to do so.
Some key lunar events for 2022
In 2022, it’s the early-risers who will enjoy the best views of some upcoming meteor showers. The eta-Aquariids shower will peak around May 6.
The southern delta-Aquariids will peak around July 31, close to a new moon. Davison says it will probably produce slightly fewer meteors, but will be visible for almost the entire night. The darker the sky, the better for viewing.
Winter will be the time for supermoons - June, July and August will have the full moons that are closest to Earth, making them appear larger and brighter than usual.
There will also be a total lunar eclipse very close to midnight on November 8. Unfortunately, New Zealanders will have to wait until mid-2028 for the next total solar eclipse, with Otago being the best place to view it.