Supporting Astronomy Education (E Tautāwhi ana i te Tātai Arorangi)
Education
We believe that education in general is one of the most important tasks in our society, because this gives the young generation the basis they need to take their responsibility to shape the future. The better we provide that education as teachers or parents, the more hope there is for the future. Why astronomy?
Why Astronomy?
Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences and since the dawn of civilisation, scholars and lay people alike have been looking up to the night sky in bewildernment and fascination. Modern Astronomy is exciting while it is developing very rapidly and it is hard to find anyone who does not have a basic interest in the night sky or would not like to know more about the background of all the research that is going on.
Technical sciences
Our view is that Astronomy is an excellent vehicle to promote the technical sciences, because modern research in astronomy is based on practically all those sciences, e.g. physics, chemistry, biology and also mathematics.
Our Resources are
- Of high quality design, richly illustrated and inter-active,
- Comprehensive and up-to-date with the latest developments in astronomy,
- Not restricted to any specific curriculum or teaching level,
- On this website and no special software or devices are needed.
Our Visitors are
- Teachers / Educators looking for quality material on astronomy,
- Teachers / Educators writing their own astronomy resources,
- Home-schooling parents looking for support in astronomy education,
- Students looking for self-study material on astronomy,
- Amateur astronomers wanting to expand their knowledge of astronomy, also to teach others,
- Anyone else who takes an interest in modern astronomy and wants to know more.
Indigenous Astronomy
"We cannot do anything but express our profound admiration for the achievements of the men of early times. Without them, we would have no foundation upon which to build our knowledge.
I hope that it will be apparent that looking back into the records of the past can generate just as much excitement as looking at today's satellite pictures of the Solar system or listening to the echoes of the Big Bang".
Patrick Moore
In this section we give links to various aspects of Archeo-astronomy, which relates to the astronomical aspects of time keeping, navigation, celestial lore, mythologies and world-views of ancient cultures.
INDIGENOUS ASTRONOMY LINKS
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General |
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Polynesia |
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Australian Aboriginals Australian Aboriginal Astronomy Aboriginal Skies (Facebook) |
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Africa |
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Europe |
MĀORI ASTRONOMY LINKS
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Māori astronomy |
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Matariki (Māori New Year) Matariki (NZ National Library) Greek mythology of the Pleiades |
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Heliacal Rising Heliacal Rising (Wikipedia) |
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Māori Lunar Calendar |