The Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5° compared with the ecliptic, the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Because of this tilt, the Moon usually passes above or
Explore the Earth–Moon system in 3D, including orbital motion, axial tilt, lunar inclination, synchronous rotation, changing Earth–Moon distance and the barycentre. Switch between relative-size and true-scale views to investigate how
What does it feel like to leave Earth, experience weightlessness and see our planet surrounded by the immense blackness of space?
In this interview, Mark Rocket—the first New Zealander to
Explore Kepler’s Second Law through an interactive orbital simulation. Investigate how a planet’s speed changes throughout its elliptical orbit and discover why equal areas are swept out in equal intervals
This page demonstrates Kepler’s First Law of Planetary Motion with an interactive simulation.
This interactive experience allows students to move through the cluster and explore the three-dimensional structure of Matariki from different perspectives, helping develop a deeper understanding of astronomical scale, distance and
Discover how cultures around the world interpreted the Pleiades star cluster through mythology, astronomy, observation and changing perspectives.
Heliacal rising of stars is a phenomenon used for millennia to mark time. What is it and what are some examples of stars that different cultures, including Māori used to
The night sky is full of stars, and our own Sun is the nearest star to us. Stars seem to last forever, the patterns they make in the sky don’t
What’s the first thing you remember about the night sky? Maybe it was the brightness of the full Moon. Maybe it was the miriads of stars in the Milky Way
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.
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