Home space resource Matariki Around the World: Perspectives on the Pleiades

Matariki Around the World: Perspectives on the Pleiades

Matariki, known internationally as the Pleiades star cluster, has been observed by cultures around the world for thousands of years. While the stars themselves are the same, the meanings people attached to them changed depending on where they lived, what they observed and how they understood the world around them.

Year 9-10, Years 11-13, Years 7-8

This activity is part of our live SpacewardBound sessions delivered in schools across New Zealand.

Earth & Space Science, Nature of Science, Social Sciences

Astronomy

60–90 minutes

Teacher guide

Why is this good to know

The night sky is shared by everyone on Earth, yet people across cultures and history have understood it in very different ways. Exploring Matariki through multiple perspectives helps students understand how observation, environment and culture shape human knowledge while encouraging curiosity, empathy and critical thinking about the world around them.

Learning outcomes

explore how different cultures interpreted the Pleiades star cluster throughout history

__________

investigate how observation, geography and perspective influence the way humans understand the night sky

__________

develop critical thinking skills through comparing scientific and cultural interpretations of astronomical objects

Prior knowledge

none

This resource explores how humans interpret the night sky through culture, geography and perspective. From ancient cave paintings and the Nebra Sky Disk to modern astronomy and the famous “Pale Blue Dot” photograph, students investigate how observation shapes knowledge and how different cultures can see very different stories in the same stars.

Included in this resource

Google Slides presentation
classroom discussion prompts
observational astronomy examples
cultural astronomy case studies

Matariki Around the World

Includes a classroom presentation exploring how cultures around the world interpreted the Pleiades star cluster through astronomy, mythology, observation and perspective. The accompanying presentation introduces students to cultural astronomy, perception, hemispheres, seasonal skies and humanity’s long relationship with the night sky.

Request access to this resource here

We take concepts like this and turn them into interactive, hands-on learning experiences students actually understand.

We’ve worked with 200+ schools and 40,000+ students,
helping make complex space science understandable and engaging.

Want to bring this experience into your classroom?

This activity is part of our live SpacewardBound sessions delivered directly in schools. We run it as a full interactive experience using our mobile planetarium and hands-on activities.

View programme options