"Go outside and enjoy the spectacular display that happens above our heads every night. Who knows if we will ever get another chance like this."

- 29 April 2020, Prof Rangi Matamua.

I have been enjoying the sky of late, both in the day and the night. 

One of the things I have noticed in recent weeks is how observable the cloud formations are, how bright and clear the moon and stars have been and how distinctive the various shades of colour appear in stars like Rehua (Antares). Even the yellow, orange and reddish hues at dawn and dusk have been incredible to see. 

We are so fortunate here in Aotearoa to have some of the most remarkable views of the night sky anywhere on the planet, and that’s so important especially when a third of the world’s population can’t see the Milky Way.

I understand our current economic situation is trying, especially for some industries such as tourism. Still, I am happy that for the past month I have looked into the sky and not seen a plane. Often when we think of pollution we think of the earth and the many ways we as humans impact negatively on our environment. 

But we sometime forget to think about the sky and how we pollute this domain with light, emissions, satellites and air travel. I am guilty of contributing to this situation with the amount of flights I have taken in recent years, and often this travel has been unnecessary, something I have come to realise in the past month. I have vowed to make changes in my own behaviour as part of my contribution to maintaining the quality of our skies here in Aotearoa.

So before the gates open again, and we get back to our planes and cars I encourage you all to take advantage of the current situation.

Go outside and enjoy the spectacular display that happens above our heads every night. Who knows if we will ever get another chance like this.