YOUR MATARIKI KETE - Learn about Matariki - Stardome
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YOUR
MATA RIKI
KETE PRESCHO019
OL
EDITION
Includes
Learn about pull-out
2
Matariki. poster.
How do you
find it in the sky
and why is it
important?
ABOUT MATARIKI
KIA ORA,
Matariki is a cluster of stars in the
constellation Taurus. There are about
a thousand stars in Matariki but only some
can be seen with the naked eye.
i kids
We want all Kiw For many iwi, Matariki resets the Māori
portant
to know how im lunar calendar (maramataka).
ew Zealand
Matariki is in N Calendars use the Moon to set the
w to find months and the Sun to mark the seasons.
culture, and ho
y. The cycle of the Moon around Earth
it in the night sk (lunar cycle) doesn’t fit evenly into the
you’ll find
In this booklet
cycle of Earth around the Sun (solar cycle).
you to Each year, the Moon cycle is around 11 days
information for shorter than the solar cycle, meaning that
ur class
use to teach yo after 12 months there are still about 11 days
about Matariki.
until Earth returns to the same position
in its orbit around the Sun.
nd
We hope you fi Stars can be used to reset the calendar
because they appear in the same place at
it useful. the same time every year. When you see
Ngā mihi nui, Matariki rising in the north-east at early
U CATION TEAM dawn, you’ll know the maramataka will
soon be reset and a new year begins again.
THE ED M E The Māori New Year begins traditionally
AT STA RD O at the first crescent Moon after the
first appearance of Matariki in the
morning sky. This occurs between
early June and the first week of July.
THE CLUSTER,
ALSO KNOWN AS Merope
THE PLEIADES, Ururangi
Wind
IS DOMINATED
BY BLUE STARS
Electra Taygeta
WHICH ARE Waipuna-ā-rangi
Alcyone
Tupu-ā-rangi
SCORCHING. THEY Wet weather and rain
Matariki Sky tohunga
Eyes of Tāwhirimātea
ARE MUCH HOTTER
THAN OUR SUN!
Pleione
Maia
Waita Tupu-ā-nuku
Earth tohunga
Salt water
Atlas
Waiti
(Rigel)
Puanga
Fresh water
y some
is used b Māori
ark
iwi to m
r instead
New Yea riki.
of Mata
ACTIVITIES
STAR BU RST!
creative
Get messy and
to make a galaxy of stars.
YOU'LL NEED
• Paint
• Paintbrushes
• A3 card per child
• Glitter and star stickers
• An old dishbrush
INSTRUCTIONSs the inside
1. Each child get
ir
of one hand painted in the
chosen star colour.
d
2. When ready, create a han
print in the middle of the card,
with their palm as the sta rt
of the centre of the star and
their fingers splaying out.
t
3. Make another hand prin
clockwise to the righ t of
their first print, joining the
palm prints together.
a
4. Keep going around in
circle, rep ain ting the ir hand
if nee ded , unt il a wh ole star
has bee n ma de.
5. With the print still wet,
sprinkle glitter on the star.
aller
6. If they want to add sm
stars around the ir ma in star,
dip the bristles of the dis h
brush in paint and prin t
this in the surrounding
space. Viola!
D
TRY ANSTARS
EN
GET SEV(INCLUDING
L
IN TOTAHAND PRINT)
YOUR RROR THE
TO MI VISIBLE
SEVEN S OF
STAR KI.
MATARI
MATARIKI FR O M
OUR SOL A R SY STEM
Ma tar iki sta r clu ste r be co me s hidden for about a month
The
changing perspective as it
in early winter due to Earth’s
den behind the Sun from
orbits the Sun. The stars are hid
of May, and appear
our point of view in the month
month of June.
again in our morning sky in the
SUN
Tamanuiterā
MERCURY
Apārangi
MARS
Matawhero
The stars in
Matariki were
formed around
SATURN 100 million years
Rongo ago – that’s
URANUS
only 1/50th
Whērangi
the age of
our Sun!
Not to scale.
The star cluster can be seen all around the
world, so it has many different names, like: ASTRONOMERS ESTIMATE
The Pleiades Greece THE CLUSTER WILL SURVIVE
The Seven Sisters Greece FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 250
Subaru Japan MILLION YEARS BEFORE ALL
The six wives of the six sages Tamil THE STARS DRIFT APART.
Seven chickens Thailand
Matali’I Samoan
Astronomers call Matariki Messier45
JUPITER
Pareārau
VENUS
Kōpū
MOON
Marama
Matariki
can be seen
from almost every
single spot
EARTH on Earth.
Papatūānuku
NEPTUNE
Tangaroa
THE SEVEN BRIGHTEST STARS ARE ALSO CALLED THE ‘SEVEN
SISTERS’. THEY ARE SISTERS BECAUSE OF THEIR CLOSE PROXIMITY
TO ONE ANOTHER, WHICH MAKES THEM A STAR CLUSTER.
STARDOME.ORG.NZ
ACTIVITIES
BLAST
OFF! ft
Have fun with everyday cra d rockets.
supplies to make pe rso na lise
YOU'LL NEED oured or blank for
• Popsicle sticks (either col
te themselves)
kids to colour in or decora
• Colouring pens
• Selection of coloured and
white paper or light card
• Glue or tape
• Scissors
• Streamers (if you want to
use them for rocket ‘fire’)
INSTRUCTIONS
s in taping 3-5 (depending
1. Assist the kid
) popsicle
on their chosen rocket size
at the top and bottom.
sticks together
’ from your paper
2. Cut out a small ‘window
elves inside, if
(get the kids to draw thems
rocket.
they like!) and stick onto the
rocket body
3. Decorate the rest of the
pap er or various
with the other coloured
crafty decorative items.
orate and glue
4. Cut out a triangle, dec
to the top of the pop sicl e sticks.
ed paper or
5. Cut out ‘fire’ from colour
them to the
use streamers and attach
ks.
bottom of the popsicle stic
pla g with
yin
6. Make multiple rockets,
decorations.
different shapes, sizes and
EITHER TAKE
THEM HOME
OR CREATE A
CLASSROOM
WALL OF SPACE
EXPLORATION.
FOIL
PAINTED
SOLAR
SYSTEM
YOU'LL NEED
• Circular object
like a plastic plat
e
• Large card pe
r child OR (like
a long roll of pa we ’ve done)
per to create a cla
Solar System ss
• Tinfoil
• Paint in various
colours
• Star confetti or
stickers (optiona
l)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Trace around th
e plates or diffe
sized circular ob rent
jects. This will
be the planet or
the Moon.
2. Scrunch up
a square of tinfo
with at least one il into a ball,
side a little flatte
3. Dip the tinfo ned.
il in your paint an
the card/paper, d then onto
within the lines
4. If you’re crea of your circle.
ting a Moon, use
of pressure or am va ry in g levels
ount of paint to
grey ‘craters’ on create the
the Moon.
5. If you’re crea EVEN MORE HANDS-ON?
ting planets, mix
colours to create and match the CUT OUT EACH PLANET
imaginary planet
the kids can use s or see if OR MOON, ATTACH SOME
certain colours to
some of the real recreate STRING AND CREATE
planets in our So
lar System.
A CLASS SOLAR
SYSTEM MOBILE!
HOW TO FIND
MATARIKI AUCKLAND NORTH-EASTER
N DAWN SKY
ISE
LATE JUNE / BEFORE SUNR
year except in
Matariki is visible most of the
to the Sun.
late autumn when it is too close
rth-east and
In New Zealand it rises in the no
across the
sets in the north-west, travelling
movement,
northern sky in between. This
sed by the
as with all other stars, is not cau
Earth turning,
stars themselves moving but by
the sky.
making it appear to move across
ther
Matariki appears further and fur
n as
away from the eastern horizo PUANGA
yea r go es on un til it sets again RIGEL
the
g for it usi ng this me thod.
– keep lookin
2
1
MATARIKI
PLEIADES
TAUTORU
ORION’S BELT
2
Follow a line
through the three
1 To find
stars of Tautoru
towards north and
DURING
LATE JUNE 2019,
Matariki, you will see a small YOU WILL SPOT
look for cluster of stars. BRIGHT VENUS
Orion’s belt. You’ve found IN BETWEEN
Matariki! ORION’S BELT
AND MATARIKI.
STARDOME.ORG.NZ
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