International year of astronomy gets NZ sparkle
Skies above New Zealand will sparkle with extra significance in 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy sees some major initiatives in 'astro tourism'.
New Zealand's world-first 'World Heritage Starlight Reserve', a national park in the sky, is likely to get the official go ahead, and major events are planned around Matariki - the Māori New Year celebration that takes place when the Pleiades star cluster appears above New Zealand.
World Heritage site
In a pioneering move, New Zealand conservationists have applied to UNESCO for World Heritage Status for a 'Starlight Reserve' in the Lake Tekapo and Aoraki Mount Cook area in the South Island's Mackenzie Country - part of which is already a New Zealand national park.
World Heritage status is the most prestigious accolade for international sites of natural or cultural importance but normally applies to parks, lakes, monuments, cities or buildings.
It has never been granted for a section of sky so the project has created immense international interest.
Dazzling starlight
The application to UNESCO is based on the Mackenzie Country's claim to be one of the few places left on earth where it's still possible to see an entire starlit night sky that's not drowned in light pollution, affected by factory smoke or spoilt by lines of jet stream.
Conservationists believe world heritage status will help protect the phenomenon, and control the amount of ambient light in the area.
UNESCO endorsement
The Starlight Reserve committee first approached UNESCO in 2007 with a proposal submitted to an international convention on the dark sky sponsored jointly by UNESCO and the Spanish government. The proposal received total endorsement.
When the group made a further presentation at the 2007 World Heritage Conference in Christchurch, the project again received "much enthusiasm".
If all goes to plan, the Starlight Reserve should get full UNESCO support by early next year in, coincidentally, the international year of astronomy.
Save Mt John
The move to apply for world heritage status was first prompted by a warning in 2001 regarding light pollution at New Zealand's principal astronomy research site, Mt John Observatory near Lake Tekapo.
It was likely that the observatory would have to close by 2011 due to rising pollution from domestic and street lighting from development of the tourist town on the lakeside.
With this form of light pollution fast becoming a world-wide problem, the conservationists had the idea of forming a 'park in the sky' to better protect the area's precious night asset.
Light control
The Mackenzie District Council already has special ordinances in place controlling the use of lighting and restricting light pollution in the area. As a result, all lights must be beamed downwards and no spillage is allowed.
Local resource management schemes recommend the use of low pressure sodium lamps or those with ultraviolet light filtered out. The Lake Tekapo Resource Management Act also restricts floodlighting from the hours of sunset until 11pm.
The Starlight Reserve project group says the council leads New Zealand and many parts of the world in this respect which is a plus for UNESCO, because the requirements are already in place.
Scientific value
The Mackenzie Country sky is of high scientific value and Mt John Observatory is considered New Zealand's best observatory site because of the high number of clear nights, the stability and transparency of the atmosphere and the uniquely dark skies.
Operated by the Physics and Astronomy department of New Zealand's University of Canterbury, it is internationally recognised as one of the best-situated observatories for viewing the southern night skies which, because of the mountain's latitudinal position, can be seen continuously throughout the year.
Eye on the sky
The university has four primary telescopes on the mountain, which are actively used by researching astronomers and physicists from all over New Zealand and the world.
The observatory is also home to the country's largest telescope which is capable of observing up to 50 million stars each night. The telescope is used exclusively by researchers and scientists.
Astro-tourism
Graeme Murray from Earth & Sky, the company with exclusive visitor rights at Mt John Observatory, is one of the key players behind the application for world heritage status.
He says astro-tourism is an exciting phenomenon finding its feet and causing intense interest throughout the world.
"A recent survey in Japan showed that 72 percent of people listed star gazing as the main reason they wanted to visit New Zealand," Mr Murray said.
"We have more than 1.5 million national and international visitors through the Lake Tekapo area each year. People are stunned by the scenery and now we say look upwards as well as around you. This clear, unpolluted dark sky here is one of our great assets - one so easily taken for granted and one so easily lost."
International Year of Astronomy in NZ
Starlight Reserve committee representative Margaret Austin, a former chair of the New Zealand Commission to UNESCO, will travel to Paris in 2009 to attend a UNESCO International Year of Astronomy meeting where it's hoped that the Starlight Reserve will get the final tick of approval.
Meanwhile, New Zealand is gearing up for the other key astronomy-linked event. During Matariki, the Māori new year thanksgiving festival, hundreds of events throughout the country will feature live music and dance, workshops and insightful lectures.
Matariki - translated as 'tiny eyes' or 'eyes of God' - occurs at the end of harvest and was traditionally a time to celebrate, prepare the land for planting, renew associations with whanau (family and friends), reflect on the past and set goals for the future.
For international visitors, the celebrations offer an opportunity not only to observe New Zealand's unique skies but also to experience every aspect of the country's unique Māori culture.
More information:
Matariki rising
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