Learn about Matariki.

How do you find it in the sky

and why is it important?

Includes pull-out poster.

YOURMATARIKI

KETE20

19P

RE

SC

HO

OL

ED

ITIO

N

MeropeUrurangi

Wind

AlcyoneMatariki

Eyes of Tāwhirimātea

ElectraWaipuna-ā-rangi

Wet weather and rain

Maia

WaitaSalt water

Atlas

WaitiFresh water

TaygetaTupu-ā-rangi

Sky tohunga

PleioneTupu-ā-nuku

Earth tohunga

THE CLUSTER,

ALSO KNOWN AS

THE PLEIADES,

IS DOMINATED

BY BLUE STARS

WHICH ARE

SCORCHING. THEY

ARE MUCH HOTTER

THAN OUR SUN!

We want all Kiwi kids

to know how important

Matariki is in New Zealand

culture, and how to find

it in the night sky.

In this booklet you’ll find

information for you to

use to teach your class

about Matariki.

We hope you find

it useful.

Ngā mihi nui,

KIA ORA,

THE EDUCATION TEAM

AT STARDOME

ABOUT MATARIKIMatariki 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.

For many iwi, Matariki resets the Māori

lunar calendar (maramataka).

Calendars use the Moon to set the

months and the Sun to mark the seasons.

The cycle of the Moon around Earth

(lunar cycle) doesn’t fit evenly into the

cycle of Earth around the Sun (solar cycle).

Each year, the Moon cycle is around 11 days

shorter than the solar cycle, meaning that

after 12 months there are still about 11 days

until Earth returns to the same position

in its orbit around the Sun.

Stars can be used to reset the calendar

because they appear in the same place at

the same time every year. When you see

Matariki rising in the north-east at early

dawn, you’ll know the maramataka will

soon be reset and a new year begins again.

The Māori New Year begins traditionally

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.

Puanga (Rigel)

is used by some

iwi to mark Māori

New Year instead

of Matariki.

ACTIVITIES

STAR BURST!Get messy and creative

to make a galaxy of stars.

YOU'LL NEED• Paint

• Paintbrushes

• A3 card per child

• Glitter and star stickers

• An old dishbrush

INSTRUCTIONS1. Each child gets the inside

of one hand painted in their

chosen star colour.

2. When ready, create a hand

print in the middle of the card,

with their palm as the start

of the centre of the star and

their fingers splaying out.

3. Make another hand print

clockwise to the right of

their first print, joining the

palm prints together.

4. Keep going around in a

circle, repainting their hand

if needed, until a whole star

has been made.

5. With the print still wet,

sprinkle glitter on the star.

6. If they want to add smaller

stars around their main star,

dip the bristles of the dish

brush in paint and print

this in the surrounding

space. Viola!

TRY AND

GET SEVEN STARS

IN TOTAL (INCLUDING

YOUR HAND PRINT)

TO MIRROR THE

SEVEN VISIBLE

STARS OF

MATARIKI.

MATARIKI FROM

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

URANUSWhērangi

SATURNRongo

MARSMatawhero

The Matariki star cluster becomes hidden for about a month

in early winter due to Earth’s changing perspective as it

orbits the Sun. The stars are hidden behind the Sun from

our point of view in the month of May, and appear

again in our morning sky in the month of June.

The stars in Matariki were

formed around 100 million years

ago – that’s only 1/50th the age of our Sun!

SUNTamanuiterā

Not to scale.

MERCURYApārangi

VENUSKōpū

NEPTUNETangaroa

EARTHPapatūānuku

The star cluster can be seen all around the

world, so it has many diff erent names, like:

The Pleiades Greece

The Seven Sisters Greece

Subaru Japan

The six wives of the six sages Tamil

Seven chickens Thailand

Matali’I Samoan

Astronomers call Matariki Messier45

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.

ASTRONOMERS ESTIMATE

THE CLUSTER WILL SURVIVE

FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 250

MILLION YEARS BEFORE ALL

THE STARS DRIFT APART.

Matariki can be seen

from almost every single spot on Earth.

MOONMarama

JUPITERPareārau

STARDOME.ORG.NZ

BLAST OFF!

ACTIVITIES

YOU'LL NEED• Popsicle sticks (either coloured or blank for

kids to colour in or decorate themselves)

• 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’)

INSTRUCTIONS1. Assist the kids in taping 3-5 (depending

on their chosen rocket size) popsicle

sticks together at the top and bottom.

2. Cut out a small ‘window’ from your paper

(get the kids to draw themselves inside, if

they like!) and stick onto the rocket.

3. Decorate the rest of the rocket body

with the other coloured paper or various

crafty decorative items.

4. Cut out a triangle, decorate and glue

to the top of the popsicle sticks.

5. Cut out ‘fire’ from coloured paper or

use streamers and attach them to the

bottom of the popsicle sticks.

6. Make multiple rockets, playing with

different shapes, sizes and decorations.

Have fun with everyday craft

supplies to make personalised rockets.

EITHER TAKE THEM HOME

OR CREATE A CLASSROOM

WALL OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

FOIL PAINTED SOLAR SYSTEMYOU'LL NEED• Circular object like a plastic plate• Large card per child OR (like we’ve done) a long roll of paper to create a class Solar System• Tinfoil

• Paint in various colours• Star confetti or stickers (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS1. Trace around the plates or different sized circular objects. This will be the planet or the Moon.2. Scrunch up a square of tinfoil into a ball, with at least one side a little flattened. 3. Dip the tinfoil in your paint and then onto the card/paper, within the lines of your circle.4. If you’re creating a Moon, use varying levels of pressure or amount of paint to create the grey ‘craters’ on the Moon.

5. If you’re creating planets, mix and match the colours to create imaginary planets or see if the kids can use certain colours to recreate some of the real planets in our Solar System.

EVEN MORE HANDS-ON?

CUT OUT EACH PLANET

OR MOON, ATTACH SOME

STRING AND CREATE

A CLASS SOLAR

SYSTEM MOBILE!

MATARIKI

TAUTORU

21

To find Matariki, look for

Orion’s belt.

1Follow a line

through the three stars of Tautoru

towards north and you will see a small

cluster of stars. You’ve found

Matariki!

2

Matariki is visible most of the year except in

late autumn when it is too close to the Sun.

In New Zealand it rises in the north-east and

sets in the north-west, travelling across the

northern sky in between. This movement,

as with all other stars, is not caused by the

stars themselves moving but by Earth turning,

making it appear to move across the sky.

Matariki appears further and further

away from the eastern horizon as

the year goes on until it sets again

– keep looking for it using this method.

AUCKLAND NORTH-EASTERN DAWN SKY

LATE JUNE / BEFORE SUNRISE

MATARIKIHOW TO FIND

PLEIADES

ORION’S BELT

PUANGARIGEL

DURING LATE JUNE 2019, YOU WILL SPOT BRIGHT VENUS IN BETWEEN

ORION’S BELT AND MATARIKI.

STARDOME.ORG.NZ