Jun
20
5:30 am05:30

Matariki - Morning Viewing

At Hamilton Astronomical Society, Hamilton Observatory, 183 Brymer Road, Hamilton.

Morning Viewing: FRIDAY 20th of June 2025
5:30 am - Sunrise (7:30 am)
Koha / Donations greatly appreciated upon entry

Join us at the Hamilton Astronomical Society to view Matariki on the morning of the 20th of June 2025. Matariki is only visible in the early morning, so the event starts at 5:30 am, and runs until sunrise at about 7:30 am. Please wrap up warm as it's likely to be quite cold. The morning Matariki viewing event is weather dependent. If there is complete cloud cover or fog which is unlikely to change, we will cancel the event. If there is broken cloud, we will do our best to view what we can. We hope the weather will be clear, allowing everyone to view Matariki. Matariki rises at about 5:30 am, and by 7:30 am the Sun will be rising, so Matariki will no longer be visible. If the weather is poor on Friday, we'll default to a backup morning event on Saturday the 21st, and we'll communicate this over social media.

Please note if the weather is fine, it's likely to be very busy. We are a volunteer organisation, and we have limited resources, but we’ll do our best to ensure everyone is able to view Matariki through a telescope or binoculars. As the light from cell phones and torches will reduce the night vision of those viewing, we ask that you try to minimise their use around the viewing area. We recommend you keep an eye on our website for updates on the event. Koha / donations are greatly appreciated upon entry. To allow space for telescopes, the zoo side of the carpark will be closed, so please use the carpark opposite the zoo on the other side of the road.

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Jun
20
7:30 pm19:30

Matariki - Evening Lecture

Evening Lecture: FRIDAY 20th of June 2025
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Koha / Donations greatly appreciated upon entry

Join us for a lecture on the history and astronomy of Matariki at 7:30 pm on Friday the 20th of June, 2025. The lecture will be delivered by Richard Croy (committee member of the Hamilton Astronomical Society).

The event will be ticketed, and numbers are limited - please register by getting your free ticket online at

Link to tickets: Link will be available soon.

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Jul
9
7:30 pm19:30

Monthly Members Night (click for details)

Monthly Members’ Night - second Wednesday of each month except January.

Tonight - A presentation, followed by informal chat over tea or coffee. Telescope viewing possible afterwards depending on weather and availablilty of scope operators.




Tonight’s Talk

The DEpth of the Night Sky

Speaker: Jonathan Park (from Hamilton Astronomical Society)

Can you guess what these stars might be? The dots don’t represent size, just position and relative brightness from the viewing point. Here’s a clue: the lower left star is our Sun, and the upper right star is 455 light-years away from us.

When we look up at the night sky, our brains want to tell us that all the stars are placed on a great celestial dome above us. But in reality, they lie at vastly different distances, scattered across space, some near and others thousands of light-years away. In this talk, we will look at some familiar groups of stars, using graphics to travel away from Earth to view them from different directions. This will help you to get a feel for these distances. We will also look at why the speed of light is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second (no more, no less), and how this leads to an exact definition of a light-year. You will also learn a little about some of these stars - are they binary, or triple, how big and hot are they, do some of them have planets? Can you guess the stars in the picture?

This talk considers a handful of familiar stars visible to the naked eye, and is aimed at all ages and levels of astronomy knowledge. It may even change how you think about the stars you see at night.

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Jun
11
7:30 pm19:30

Monthly Members Night (click for details)

Monthly Members’ Night - second Wednesday of each month except January.

Tonight - A presentation, followed by informal chat over tea or coffee. Telescope viewing possible afterwards depending on weather and availablilty of scope operators.



Tonight’s Talk

The Search for Earth 2.0
Origins, Conditions & Signatures of Life

Speaker: Chris Benton (from Auckland Astronomical Society)

In this follow-up lecture on exoplanets, Chris Benton will focus on the exciting quest for extraterrestrial life on planets beyond our Solar System. We will discuss what life is, what conditions life requires, and how and where life may have started and evolved on Earth before reviewing what types of exoplanets could potentially harbour life and the biosignatures of life in their atmospheres. Come along and join in discussing these and other stimulating questions of astrobiology!

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May
27
7:30 pm19:30

Special Presentation for Members

We are excited to annouce that Professor Rene Breton will present “Cosmic Fireworks” to the members. Please check your emails for information about this event (date, time and location).

“Cosmic Fireworks”

Even though most objects in our Universe – planets, stars, galaxies, etc. – evolve over millions if not billions of years, space is populated with bright phenomena which can take place on very fast time scales, ranging from months all the way down to milliseconds. This talk will explore the world of astronomical transients, which include the cataclysmic supernovae and intriguing fast radio bursts. It will describe how technology enabling the study of time-variable phenomena is reshaping our understanding of the Universe.


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May
26
7:30 pm19:30

Public Lecture: Artificial Intelligence in Astronomy

2025 Beatrice Hill Tinsley Lecture, with Professor Anna Scaife

Monday, 26 May, starting at 7:30 pm, at the University of Waikato.

How Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we do astronomy -
and why that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Entry is open to everyone and is FREE; however, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. If you’re interested in attending or would like more information,

please click here to learn more and register your seat(s).

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May
14
7:30 pm19:30

Monthly Members Night (click for details)

Monthly Members’ Night - second Wednesday of each month except January.

Tonight - A presentation, followed by informal chat over tea or coffee. Telescope viewing possible afterwards depending on weather and availablilty of scope operators.


Tonight’s Talk

The Search for Earth 2.0
Part 1: Discovering Exoplanets

Speaker: Chris Benton (from Auckland Astronomical Society)

With over 5,000 planets beyond our Solar System discovered to date, astronomers are unveiling a vast array of “other worlds.” Chris will delve into the methods used to detect these planets, from the transit method to direct imaging, and explore how scientists gather data on their size, composition, and potential for supporting life. He will also discuss the concept of “Earth 2.0” – the search for exoplanets that closely resemble our home planet and could potentially support life. We look forward to seeing you all there for this informative and stimulating discussion.

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Apr
9
7:30 pm19:30

Monthly Members Night (click for details)

Monthly Members’ Night - second Wednesday of each month except January.

Tonight - A presentation, followed by informal chat with tea and coffee.



Tonight’s Talk

The Cutting Edge of Chemical Rockets

Speaker: Charlie Cooper (from Hamilton Astronomical Society)

Get ready for a deep dive into the latest advances in chemical rocketry, with SpaceX's Raptor engine as the star example. We'll break down the extreme engineering challenges behind rocket engines, explore the fundamental physics that drive them, and uncover how cutting-edge manufacturing techniques are reshaping their design. If you’re curious about the future of high-performance rocketry, this talk is for you!

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Mar
25
7:00 pm19:00

Prostate cancer awareness fundraising event

An Evening with the Stars, Hosted by the Hamilton Astronomical Society

This is an event hosted by the Hamilton Astronomical Society as a fundraiser for the Prostate Cancer Society and the Prost-FIT groups of Cambridge and Hamilton.

When: Tuesday, March 25th
Where: Hamilton Astronomical Society, Brymer Road, directly adjacent to the Hamilton Zoo.
Time: 7:00 pm

From 7:00 to 7:30 pm, there will be pizza, tea and coffee, and biscuits. This will be followed by a lecture of approximately 1 hour duration: “Surprises of our Solar System”. Post the lecture, there will be an opportunity (weather permitting) to use the Society’s telescopes to view some amazing star formations, with the scopes being manned by HAS astronomers.

Admission and Registration

Cost: $10.00 per adult, $5.00 per child, all proceeds to the Prostate Cancer Society.

We have a limit on attendees, so please register with either Carrie carrie@physiofithub.com, or at cambridge@prostate.org.nz.

Please come along! Bring your friends, partners, or anybody you think might be interested. There will be a very short presentation of the resources available through the Prostate Cancer Society and the Prost- FIT programme for people dealing with prostate cancer.

Hope to see you there!
Please do register - it will help with numbers for catering.

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